


Waving Through a Window

by YanaEffect



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Break-up/make-up trope, Freeform, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Miscommunication
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-04
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2018-11-23 08:06:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 68,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11398509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YanaEffect/pseuds/YanaEffect
Summary: Relationships are a lot of work. What do you do if they stop working? Communication can not be held in gestures and signals, not all the time. Lost in translation, things fall apart. Is it too late to go back once you lose what's dear to you? Pick up the shards before someone else calls dibs on their favorite part of the stained glass.





	1. Mutual Vexation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KizuKatana](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KizuKatana/gifts).



> Dedicated to KizuKatana for making a break-up/make-up addict out of me.
> 
> I'm working on this for about a month and I'm finally publishing it! This is one of my favorite tropes, with lots of angst and anger, but seeing them fix things is always worth the pain. I hope I can pull it off. xD Thanks to Amethyst288 for beta-reading this! 
> 
> Enjoy!

Inside the luxurious car-ferry, Sasuke’s footfall echoed. It wasn’t terribly crowded, which was the only reason why he was holding back from murdering his own boyfriend. It was a little past afternoon.

“Here,” he practically slammed the coffee cup in his hand on the round table. Naruto jumped slightly at the sound. Before Sasuke’s arrival, he’d been watching the blue waves of the sea. His lips formed a small smile upon smelling the delicious scent of his coffee. Sasuke sat down on the seat across him. They were the only people sitting at the table.

“Thanks,” he offered, his blue eyes focused on the matching sky. “The clouds look beautiful today.”

Sasuke took a sip from his own drink: plain green tea. Complaining wouldn’t change anything at this point, and he certainly didn’t want to come off as whiny, but he wasn’t easily going to forget about it. “It would look even better from up there if we were on a plane.”

“You’re still going on about that?” Naruto rolled his eyes and tugged the sleeves of his gray hoodie that read _Squad_ on the chest area. Once his hands were out of Sasuke’s sight, he grabbed the paper cup and tasted his coffee. Sasuke started reading his newspaper to avoid seeing the way Naruto grimaced. “There’s no sugar in it.”

“Is that so?”

“Sasuke. You know I don’t drink coffee without sugar.”

He gave a weary sigh, eyes still on the paper. The reason he hadn’t put any sugar in it was more than obvious. “You eat unhealthy. You drink unhealthy. You’ve started to gain weight.”

“So what? Am I not allowed to?”

“You know I mean well.”

Without saying a word, Naruto got to his feet and started walking to the little buffet. Sasuke watched him walk from the corner of his eye. He was still muscular, far from the border of being overweight, but his ass cheeks looked chubbier than ever.

Reading the news of the day, he drank the rest of his tea in silence. Naruto was still not back, so he guessed he was walking around or watching out the windows.

He didn’t understand what joy Naruto found in watching the way propellers made white foams over the sea. Or how clouds created patterns in the air. It was just nature.

Sasuke threw his empty cup into the trash can behind their seat. Naruto had insisted they would take the ferry because _it would be an adventure!_ , but taking a plane was much faster – and more comfortable. The waves making the ship constantly float up and down didn’t help much with making Sasuke love the journey either. The only pro of being here was that he could smoke whenever he wanted to.

“Sasuke!”

He turned his body to see why his boyfriend was calling to him enthusiastically from a distance. A handful of people looked their way before returning to their own business.

“I found apple vinegar flavored KitKat,” Naruto flopped down onto the seat, making the table shake, and tore the package. “Can you believe it? I bet it tastes disgusting.”

“Then why did you buy it?”

“Because I’m curious,” he took a tentative bite, then put the rest of it down. “Uh. Gross.”

“Stop wasting money,” Sasuke frowned, his tone disapproving. He pulled out his laptop from the leather briefcase lying on the seat next to him. “You’re not visiting the gym. That’s why you’re getting fat.”

“I’m not getting fat, Sasuke,” Naruto groaned. “Stop messing with me. Don’t you have work to do?”

“Yes. That’s what I’m planning to do right now.”

Naruto averted his annoyed gaze from Sasuke, so Sasuke did the same, staring at his laptop screen instead. “You know I’ve been busy lately. You might still make time for gym, but our jobs are different. I’m not always occupied like you are, but some weeks are busier than others.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Sasuke said with an offended snort. He knew Naruto was not trying to make a fool out of him, but it was still annoying.

Naruto didn’t dwell on it. “Whatever. But this weekend was nice, wasn’t it?”

He stopped sliding his index finger over the touchpad. For some reason, he wasn’t able to focus. “Hn.”

“I’m so glad we found that place,” Naruto calmly stated. “I didn’t know they had onsens in Chiba as amazing as the ones in Hakone.”

Sasuke briefly nodded and stole a glance at his boyfriend. “The hotel was clean too.”

“Yep,” Naruto grinned at him. The blond was good at shooing away the tension in the air. He could feel an answering smirk form on his lips. Shutting the laptop, he placed it back in the briefcase. “I’m going out to the deck.”

Naruto’s smile faded. “You’re gonna smoke, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“You smell bad when you smoke.” He saw his boyfriend wrinkle his nose in disgust. “And taste like an ashtray.”

“I don’t say anything when you taste like…” He picked up the half-empty package on the table in a revolted manner. “…Apple vinegar. So shut it.” He sent it down next to his empty cup.

“You’ve started smoking too much lately,” Naruto complained, folding his hands over his chest. “I’m gonna be the one who has to take care of you when you get lung cancer, so don’t.”

Sasuke’s left brow twitched in irritation. It took all he had to keep his tone clear of grudge. “You don’t _have to_ take care of me just like you don’t _have to_ stay by my side.”

Naruto pouted. “What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that I’m not forcing you to taste me or smell me. It’s your own choice. But I’m sure you already know this.”

He left Naruto alone in his perplexed state and started heading to the door. He could use some fresh air.

. . . 

 

The scent of the briny sea and the bitter smoke mixed in Sasuke’s lungs. He was leaning over and resting one arm on the railings as he used his other to lead the cigarette to his mouth. He breathed it in deeply, feeling it fill his lungs and exhaled slowly, watching the gray smoke vanished into thin air.

He’d been feeling unsure about life for almost a year. The family business was running smoothly as always. After all, Itachi and Sasuke had been trained especially to take the company over. He could do it with his eyes closed. But business, sadly, wasn’t everything. He had a relationship going on for almost 7 years.

Sasuke and Naruto knew each other since high school. The simple annoyance they felt toward each other had turned into rivalry as they got to knew each other better, and the tension between them was nearly palpable by the time they were in their junior year. Of course, their teachers had always paired them for school projects so they would learn to ‘get along’, but they would always end up fighting and working separately. In their senior year, they had found a better way to show how much they hated each other.

It was better. The bruises were on their hips and necks rather than their faces. Neither of the boys remembered who’d initiated it, but it had never mattered.

Through college, they had shared a dorm room. Their majors were different, Sasuke was studying business administration while Naruto had chosen graphic design, but they still got to spend time together, which was the important thing.

After graduating, they had both agreed to continue sharing a room. It had also made them realize dorm rooms were torturous; the cheap beds made squeaky sounds and the walls were ridiculously thin. But in their own apartment, they had found out they could be as noisy as they wanted after getting the walls covered with sound insulating foam. Also, they could walk around naked. It was a plus for Naruto. Sasuke didn’t care about it that much.

Sasuke honestly didn’t know what had changed. Naruto was his usual self. He had matured, yes, but his personality still seemed the same. The years they had spent together as a happy couple seemed so far away to Sasuke. They brawled a lot lately, more than ever. And they ended with Naruto leaving the house instead of having hot make-up sex like old times.

He’d never asked what Naruto did when he stormed off. When it was one of the rare times when he couldn’t take it staying alone in the house, he usually took long walks around. With Naruto’s request, they had rented their apartment in a calm, quiet place instead of in the heart of Tokyo. Sasuke appreciated that when he had headaches from working for long hours, but sometimes it pissed him off too. Walking in the woods wasn’t his favorite calming down activity. He’d rather go to the gym and kick punching bags repeatedly, and the gym wasn’t within walking distance.

Needless to say, after a nerve-wracking fight, he wouldn’t risk his life by driving.

The next morning, Naruto would pretend nothing had happened last night and they would get on with their lives. It bothered Sasuke, but he knew trying to talk with Naruto about it would only cause another fight, then Naruto storming off, and it wasn’t something his emotionally drained mind could take. He knew they needed to have a talk eventually, though.

It was still only Naruto that he cared about this way. He still sometimes found himself getting lost in the beauty of his boyfriend’s face, and felt the unexplainable need to have his way with him, but those times were rare.

Nowadays, Naruto seemed to bother him more than he made him feel glad to be in a relationship. He still loved Naruto, but he also found him really, _really_ annoying.

Feeling exasperation run through his whole system, he inhaled the smoke once more and threw the burnt out butt in the near cigarette receptacle.

Naruto was exaggerating as he always did. Sasuke didn't smoke too much. Every once in a while when he was frustrated, maybe, but he wasn't a heavy smoker. Naruto himself was addicted to sweets and ramen. He had absolutely no right to tell Sasuke to quit.

He stood out there for a while and watched the waves. Of course, like he'd expected it to, it bored him after only 30 seconds. The deck was a lot less crowded than the inside, so he didn't go in right after, enjoying the hushed sound of the blowing wind. Naruto surely would start nagging him about the way he smelled the moment he noticed Sasuke was back.

His steps were not hurried as he pushed the wooden door open and felt the warmth surround himself. He hadn’t even realized he was cold. The place now smelled like disinfectants, he saw a janitor wipe the empty tables and throw away trash. It was pathetic how some people couldn’t even use a bin. Prep school should’ve been prolonged for them. With a sneer, he remembered his own boyfriend tended to be one of them. More often than not, Sasuke would fold his laundry, pick up his dirty clothes and stuff them in the hamper. Naruto was inept like that. He never did the dishes unless Sasuke gave him a serious warning. He wouldn’t wipe the bathroom floor after showering. His elbow ached from remembering the time he’d slipped and fallen to the floor.

Naruto had said it was his own fault for not watching where he was walking.

As the distance between him and their table shortened, his eyes narrowed. The shiny blond hair of his boyfriend was easy to spot, but the red-haired man sitting on Sasuke’s seat wasn’t something you would miss.

Naruto’s tanned face held excitement as his lips moved fastly. Sasuke couldn’t even remember the last time Naruto was that enthusiastic when telling him something. The lips froze when Naruto’s eyes met Sasuke’s, and the happy expression turned into something confused.

Clearing his throat, Sasuke stood near the table. “Am I interrupting?”

The redhead turned around to face Sasuke. It took only a moment for him to recognize the sea foam green eyes.

“Ah, I see. Sasori- _senpai_ is here too.”

“Sasuke,” Naruto called to him with a sharp edge to his voice. Maybe it was because Sasuke teased him about his slight obsession over the guy back in high school, when Naruto chased after him and called him senpai. It wasn’t something people other than Sasuke could notice, but it was indeed there. His facial features were relaxed. “Sasori’s family owns the transportation company. I didn’t know he was gonna be here.”

“You don’t have to explain anything,” he plastered an artificial smile on his face and slipped his hands into the pockets of his black jeans. “I remember how much you liked him in high school.”

Sasori ran a hand through his crimson hair. Despite not liking the man, Sasuke knew Sasori was more than intelligent. From what Sasuke could see, he’d sensed the tension. “Anyway. It was nice seeing you, Naruto. Deidara is waiting, so I’ll leave now.” He stood up.

“Wait – I wanna see Deidara-senpai too!” Naruto chimed, getting to his feet. “I haven’t seen you both in ages. We almost arrived, right? This might be my only chance for a long time.”

Sasori smiled lightly. “I believe we have about 10 more minutes.”

“Cool. Let’s go.” He made a move to leave, but somehow remembered his boyfriend still standing in front of them. “Um. Sasuke. You don’t wanna come… do you?”

Sasuke knew Naruto was just asking so he wouldn’t feel left out. It flared anger within him. “No.” His response was harsher than usual.

The blue eyes looking at him widened before they focused on the other man. “C’mon.”

Narrowing his eyes at both, Sasori shook his head and gave a slight nod to Sasuke as goodbye. Sasuke returned the gesture before they started walking toward the direction he’d just come from.

He felt goosebumps break out on his skin.

Ten minutes later, they were getting in Sasuke’s car to wait for the vehicles in front of them to move so they could finally get the hell out of there. Sasuke got in from the driver’s side. Naruto opened the door and sat on the back seat instead of next to Sasuke.

“I missed Menma so much,” he started to speak all of a sudden. “I hope Sakura took good care of him. We’ve been gone for only two days, but you know Menma. He sometimes gets aggressive.”

Sasuke eyed him in the rearview mirror. He was wearing a normal face. Like nothing had happened. His hands trembled. “He’s a _cat_ , Naruto. Sakura is perfectly capable of taking care of him.”

“I know. I feel lonely without him rubbin’ my belly after I eat ramen.” He leaned back. Sasuke’s knuckles were turning white from holding the steering wheel too tight. Sasuke was there with him nearly every second of the last two days, and here Naruto was, saying he felt lonely.

Turning the engine on, he licked his lips. “We should get another cat. Menma must be feeling lonely too.”

“Heh,” Naruto gave a husky chuckle. It wasn’t long, but it was genuine. Naruto found it… _funny_. “Nah. He’s good. I wanna take a nap. That’s why I’m sittin’ here in case you’re wondering. Anyway,” he leaned forward and brushed a quick kiss on Sasuke’s right cheek. “Wake me up when we’re home.”

“…Alright,” he breathed out after a short hesitation. In the mirror, he watched Naruto curl up in a ball and close his eyes, then put his eyes on the road, starting to drive now that the path ahead of them was finally clear.

Naruto was acting like everything was fine. He hadn’t even said anything about Sasori. Something in Sasuke’s head whispered this was the calm before the storm, and as much as he didn’t want to believe it, he also knew it was the truth. How much more could he handle?

* * *

 

It was a lot darker when Naruto roused from his slumber. It wasn’t Sasuke who had woken him. He rubbed his eyes and straightened his posture as he sat up, looking around. They had pulled up in front of their house and Sasuke was silently sitting and watching the lifeless indicators.

He waited for a couple of minutes, watching his boyfriend’s furrowed brows, hoping for the man to realize he was awake. He shifted in his seat, but no reaction came from the driver. He wondered what Sasuke was thinking about so deeply.

“Sasuke?” Naruto’s voice was gravelly. He coughed to clear his throat.

Hearing his name made Sasuke jump in the slightest. He turned in the seat easily. His safety belt was off. “Ah. I didn’t realize you were awake.”

“No. I just woke up,” he suppressed a yawn and rubbed an eye. “Umm. Were you just… sitting there for minutes?”

Sasuke shook his head, making the jet black strands of hair move. “No. I’ve just turned the ignition off.”

“Okay,” Naruto nodded. “Let’s get going then. I wanna see Menma.”

In a hushed tone, Sasuke whispered something.

Naruto raised a brow. “Pardon?”

“I said fine,” Sasuke answered. He sounded tired. For a brief moment, Naruto felt bad for making Sasuke drive all the way and sleeping himself, but it was gone in a second.

They got out of the car and as Sasuke went ahead to open the door to the apartment, Naruto got their suitcases from the trunk. It was funny that they would take only one big suitcase in the past and now they took two small ones. He shut the trunk door with more force than necessary, watching the way Sasuke winced from the corner of his eye. He grabbed the handles and lifted the bags, making his way to the door.

“Let me help,” Sasuke offered, but Naruto jerked the suitcase to his other side and smiled at Sasuke.

“I can handle them, but thanks.” They climbed the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator since their apartment was on the first floor.

Once Sasuke unlocked the door and let Naruto in first, Naruto put the suitcases down immediately and walked out of the door. “I’m gonna bring Menma.”

He heard Sasuke mutter something under his breath about making the dirty rollers touching the clean carpet. He didn’t understand why Sasuke was so anal about this. Some dirt wouldn’t kill anyone.

Sakura lived on the fifth floor, so he did take the elevator this time. As the cabin started soaring, he checked himself in the mirror. It wasn’t surprising that he didn’t have any hickeys or marks that he needed to cover despite having sex only two days ago. The bags under his eyes had turned into a deeper shade of purple. Last week had been hectic; he’d had to wake up early and go to bed very late. Of course, Sasuke hadn’t said a word about it. He didn’t have the right to, really, but Naruto wasn’t sure Sasuke actually cared about it.

As the doors opened, he gave his hair a light ruffle to fix the I-just-got-out-of-bed look and stepped out. He rang Sakura’s doorbell and waited.

The door opened after several seconds, revealing a pink haired, young woman with fair skin. “Naruto!”

“Hi, Sakura,” he grinned and let her pull him in for a quick hug. “How’s it goin’?”

She smiled, brushing away a pink strand of hair. “Good. How was the trip?”

“I had fun,” he briefly explained. “I hope Menma didn’t give you much trouble.”

“Ah, no,” she waved a pale hand in dismissal. “He’s an attention whore, just like his owner, but other than that, we got along just fine.”

“Heh. I’m glad.”

“Come in. He’s busy humping my couch, but I’m sure you’ll catch his attention.” She took a step to the side and Naruto walked in, toeing his shoes off in a hurry to see his cat.

He practically ran to the living room, and flopped on the couch, grabbing Menma and hugging him to his chest. “I missed you so much, buddy!”

“You treat him like he’s your kid,” Sakura pouted. “Anyway. Are you staying? Lee brought fresh coffee grounds yesterday. We can drink a mug or two.”

“I’d love to, but I can’t,” he looked up to meet her jade green eyes, stroking Menma’s black and white furs as he did. “We just returned. Sasuke’s probably waiting.”

“I see,” she nodded. “Let me bring his food and litter box then.”

He watched her walk away and sighed deeply. It would be nice to stay and talk to her, but he didn’t want to leave Sasuke alone. Also, he had to take a shower and make dinner. Menma purred and licked Naruto’s hand. It only made him sigh once more.

“Here you go. Remember to buy some more food.”

He held Menma and grabbed the bag Sakura gave him. “Thanks for everything.”

She smiled. “Don’t mention it.”

“Tell Lee I said hi.”

She closed the door, and Naruto pushed the elevator button with his elbow. Menma was restless, trying to claw the fabric of his sweatshirt.

Once they were on the first floor, he realized it was impossible to get his keys from his pocket, so he ended up ringing the doorbell. It took some time for Sasuke to answer.

“What took you so long?” He grumbled and put Menma on the floor. The cat walked to the bedroom, probably to lick himself clean.

“I was cutting vegetables.”

“What are you making?” He put Menma’s stuff down too, and closed the door before starting to rub his sore wrists. Sasuke had already walked back to the kitchen. Naruto followed him.

Sasuke grabbed the knife and started slicing a carrot. “Stew.”

“I don’t like stew,” Naruto whined, hopping to sit on the clean part of the countertop. “Can’t we make something else?”

“Like ramen?”

“No, not like ramen. Maybe fried rice?”

With a tired groan, Sasuke put the knife on the cutting board and looked at Naruto. His eyes held an unreadable expression. It made Naruto flinch – he was the expert at reading Sasuke, but he’d never seen this face before. It was frightening to realize that. “Can’t you eat healthy food for once?”

He bit on the nail of his thumb. Normally, Sasuke didn’t force him to eat something. “…Fine. I’ll eat.”

“Stop biting your nails. Also, get down. You’re dirtying the kitchen.”

Naruto snorted. Sasuke sometimes acted like such a prick – actually no, not sometimes. Sasuke seemed to act like a huge douchebag all the time. He’d always known that, but lately, it had gotten worse.

“Are you going to help me?”

“You need help?” He hopped off and opened the fridge door. “I was thinking of taking a shower.” Seeing they had no beer, he walked back to Sasuke’s side. The clean smell coming from the man intoxicated him. Sasuke apparently had already showered. He nudged the pale neck with his nose and breathed in. “You smell good.”

Sasuke glared at him. “I need help with cutting the meat.”

Throwing daggers like that, he could probably cut the meat just by staring at it. “Okay.”

He didn’t move right away, thinking about which knife would cut the meat better as he watched the orange slices, so he didn’t realize Sasuke’s eyes were still on him. “ _Naruto_.”

“Hm?”

“Why are you still standing here?”

He opened his mouth to answer, but his gaze fell to Sasuke’s pursed lips. It took no effort to remember how warm and soft they felt against his own. Without thinking, he gently fisted his hand in Sasuke’s hair, feeling it damp against his skin, and connected their mouths together. A soft, surprised whimper escaped Sasuke’s throat before he kissed back.

Naruto didn’t want to pull away. He was afraid of what was going on between them. He didn’t like being afraid, and he felt safe when touching Sasuke like this, feeling he was here, so it made perfect sense that he wanted to keep kissing.

But Sasuke eventually pushed him. His lips looked moist, and his cheeks were a bit flushed, but his furrowed brows forced Naruto to move. “Idiot. Go cut the meat.”

He felt like his voice would crack if he spoke, so he nodded and put the meat on a cutting board, choosing the biggest knife they had and started cutting it into small pieces.

Sasuke took care of the rest, telling Naruto to take a shower. As the scorching hot water cascaded on his back, he inhaled in the fog. It made his lungs tighten, but after two days spent in a place with hot springs, it didn’t have much effect on him. He lathered his hair with robotic motions and let the water rinse the bubbles.

He felt exhausted. Physically, even if not best, he was in good health, but he was an emotional wreck. He knew his relationship with Sasuke was crumbling apart and had no idea how to stop it from happening.

The vacation had really been nice for him. His muscles had relaxed after sitting in the hot springs for hours, and he could say the same about Sasuke. They both spent lots of time sitting in front of a computer, thus, had backaches often. A relaxing trip had been nice. They’d had sex after chilling too. There was no way Naruto could call that boring.

What worried him wasn’t that. Lately, he’d been feeling like a wall had risen between them. Their fights had started to end badly, leaving them scarred and disappointed. So, as precaution, he had started to act like he wasn’t offended by Sasuke’s actions when in truth, all he wanted to was to rip the man apart like he ripped Naruto’s heart. Sasuke sometimes tried to drive him crazy. Like today. Who was he to tell Naruto not to take sugar with his coffee? It was Naruto’s decision, not his. And when he’d said he would be the one taking care of Sasuke if he got lung cancer… The man had practically told him he could break up with him if he wanted to. Of course he knew he was here with his own free will, but Sasuke saying that… hurt.

He shut his stinging eyes and turned the water off before Sasuke started to complain about the water bill. He toweled off, then used the towel to wipe the water on the floor. His carelessness had caused Sasuke to fall and bruise his arm once. Joking about watching out for his steps hadn’t been enough to overcome the guilt. He quickly threw the towel in the washer and opened the door, feeling his lungs fill with non-humid air.

He put on boxers and a pair of sweatpants. The smell of the stew had already reached his nose. Menma was on their bed, taking a nap. He crawled next to him and watched the cat’s body move as he breathed in and out.

“Dinner’s ready,” Sasuke shouted from the kitchen. He chewed on his lip and scratched his chest. He didn’t feel very hungry, but made his way to the kitchen.

“Let me set the table,” he murmured, opening the drawer to take out two forks and knives.

“Hn. Your hair’s dripping all over the floor.”

“It’s alright.”

“I’ll get you a towel.”

It was no big deal. If he wanted to keep his hair wet, it should’ve been alright. He was a grown man. He didn’t need his boyfriend to dry his hair.

Nevertheless, he thanked Sasuke and took the towel handed out to him, letting it hang from his neck. They sat down, eating in uncomfortable silence. He found the stew good. After all, Sasuke was an excellent cook, but he was still not fond of the dish.

“I’m gonna hit the gym in the morning,” Naruto said, stirring the food in his bowl with the spoon. “So I might get up earlier than usual.”

“Okay,” Sasuke nodded. He didn’t make eye contact.

“Do you have work to do tonight?”

Sasuke wiped his mouth with a napkin, this time, looking at Naruto. “Yes, but it’s not urgent.”

“Alright.” He lazily chewed on carrots and beans.

When Sasuke was finished, Naruto was through only half of it. He didn’t want to eat though, and Sasuke didn’t force him to. “Don’t put it in the fridge and tell me you’ll eat it later. I don’t like cleaning up rotten food.”

He got up to pour it in the trash bag. Without letting Sasuke do it, he rinsed both their bowls and placed them in the dishwasher.

“Do you want coffee? I’m going to make some for myself.”

Hearing the word ‘coffee’ come out of Sasuke’s mouth made him remember things, and he felt sick to his core. “No, thanks.”

“Naruto.”

He tilted his head to face Sasuke. His boyfriend put a hand on Naruto’s forehead. He looked concerned.

“Are you okay? You look ill.”

“I’m fine,” he forced his lips to curl upward.

Sasuke nodded and took the towel away from his neck. “I’ll bring you a shirt. You’re going to catch a cold if you stay like this.”

“I said I’m fine,” Naruto said through gritted teeth, closing the door of the dishwasher and proceeding to wash his hands.

Hearing nothing from Sasuke, he turned around. Sasuke was gone.

A cold feeling sank in his stomach. Maybe he really was ill.

He went to the bedroom to see if Menma was up. The cat was still sleeping, this time on Naruto’s side of the bed. He got his work laptop from the side table and laid down on Sasuke’s side of the bed. The pillow smelled like Sasuke. The smell that had always comforted him.

Now it made him dizzy.

He checked his e-mails. Last month, they had designed a website for a popular clothing brand, and it had taken most of their time, but the final product was something worth losing sleep over. The paychecks Naruto and his team had received were more than satisfying.

They were free this week. He’d been originally planning to spend time with Sasuke as much as possible, even risk asking Itachi if he could take over Sasuke’s part of things for a day or two so they could fix things, but after today’s events, all he wanted to do was to stay away and sleep until his mind went numb.

He gave Menma’s head a scratch and got up. He opened the closet door to find something to wear. The red t-shirt was the first thing he had his hands on, and he didn’t think too much as he put it on. This was one of the clothes they both wore. Naruto couldn’t remember which one of them it belonged to. He had other things to worry about now.

To see what Sasuke was up to, he checked the house. His boyfriend was nowhere to be seen, but his shoes were still by the door and his phone was standing on the coffee table in the living room.

Naruto ran a hand through his hair and opened the balcony door. The breeze softly caressed his cheeks, but it didn’t help him cool down the burning sensation in his chest. He sat down on the empty chair, watching the trees sway with the wind. Even the smell of smoke didn’t bother him at this rate.

“You forgot to drink your coffee,” he softly said, looking at the full cup placed on the small table in front of the chairs that stood side by side.

Sasuke didn’t acknowledge his existence. Naruto’s toes curled in nervousness.

“Do you want me to heat it up for you?”

“No,” Sasuke said gruffly.

Naruto nodded to himself, then reached for Sasuke’s pale hand resting on the arm of the chair. The skin was cold. He lifted it, placing his other hand underneath it in an attempt to warm it up. Sasuke put the cancer stick between his lips again and sucked in a breath.

Then, he put it down on the ashtray and watched it burn out before looking at Naruto. “What are you doing?”

A soft, desperate laughing sound escaped Naruto’s mouth. “Warming your hand. It’s cold.”

He could swear he saw Sasuke’s lips twitch, but they looked the same thin line when he blinked. Sasuke’s porcelain face was shining under the moonlight. His black spikes almost seemed to have navy blue highlights, making Naruto’s breath hitch in his throat. Sasuke was so beautiful.

He licked his dry lips. “Sasuke.”

His boyfriend tore his gaze from the moon and looked at him. Naruto squeezed the hand in his, feeling its limpness, and leaned in. Before their lips could connect, he saw Sasuke watch his lips with longing in his eyes, and all he could do was to smash their lips together.

Sasuke’s own taste had mixed with ash, but Naruto couldn’t care less. He just needed to touch Sasuke, to feel him there. He needed to know they were okay. His own feelings couldn’t have changed… could they? What was wrong?

He tried blocking the thought by thrusting his tongue into Sasuke’s mouth. Sasuke’s hand escaped from between Naruto’s hands and cupped Naruto’s cheek. The kiss was deep and slow.

Tan fingers brushed against Sasuke’s chest and slid down from there, touching the front of Sasuke’s sweatpants. He wasn’t surprised to feel a half-hard bulge.

But the kiss was broken before he could start stroking it. “Naruto. We had sex two days ago.”

“So?” He softly kissed the corner of Sasuke’s mouth. “We used to do it twice a day.”

“That’s past tense,” Sasuke hissed.

Words were not effective on Sasuke. No; Naruto’s expertise was on physical persuasion. He kept brushing his hand to Sasuke’s crotch as he started sucking on the warm neck that smelled only like Sasuke. Minutes ago, he was running away from it, and here he was now, seeking comfort from it.

He was pathetic.

Despite his best efforts, Sasuke made a whimper that encouraged Naruto to slip his hand into Sasuke’s pants. His eyes were closed as he imagined what kind of face Sasuke was making while Naruto pumped his hard shaft. He knew Sasuke would rather die than let Naruto see it now.

He kissed Sasuke again. Doing this on the balcony meant nothing to him. Their neighbors could fuck off.

“Stop.” Sasuke nearly panted. He pulled Naruto’s hand out, grabbed his wrist and started tugging him toward the bedroom. The fingers around his wrist were holding it with bruising force, and Naruto was more than okay with it.

“Menma’s on the bed,” he explained with a murmur before they could pass the bedroom door.

Sasuke stopped in his tracks, scowling. “I’m not doing it with the cat in the room.”

“I’ll take him out,” Naruto offered. He’d expected Sasuke to let his wrist go right away, but Sasuke hadn’t. Finally, Sasuke realized his mistake and let his fingers loosen.

Naruto hugged Menma to his chest and put him on the fuzzy cat bed in the hallway. He returned to the bedroom, gently closing the door behind him.

Two strong arms wrapped around him and Sasuke started to nip on the skin of Naruto’s neck.

“S-Sasuke,” he breathed out against the pale neck.

Sasuke pulled him to his chest closer and whispered in his ear with that deep, warm voice of his that made Naruto shiver uncontrollably. “Let’s move on to the bed.”

He let his boyfriend push him down, crawl on top and kiss the breath out of him. The fabrics covering their bodies were so unnecessary. He tried taking Sasuke’s shirt off, but Sasuke slapped his hand away, doing it himself.

Then, he took Naruto’s shirt off too and licked his way down on the caramel colored chest. Naruto was watching Sasuke’s face, feeling him, noting every movement he made. They both reached at the same time to pull Naruto’s sweatpants and boxers down.

Sasuke closed his lips around Naruto’s aching cock, and all Naruto could do was to hold in his scream. Not that the neighbors would hear, but he was afraid his voice would shatter the moment to pieces. He watched Sasuke bob his head up and down, flatten his tongue against the vein, and Naruto felt his face burn at the sight. He needed more of this. More contact.

“Enough,” he yanked Sasuke from his hair and connected their mouths, letting their tongues aggressively move against each other. A groan filled his mouth when he tried to pull Sasuke’s pants down, but he didn’t care. They were both finally naked; he could feel Sasuke’s erection brush against his own. The pleasure it brought was too strong to be blocked out by other feelings.

Sasuke didn’t want foreplay, and Naruto fully agreed. Sasuke reached for the nightstand, pulled out a bottle of lube and a pack of condom.

“Put it back,” Naruto gestured at the condom. He needed to feel Sasuke inside of him. The contact needed to be skin to skin.

Sasuke raised a questioning brow. Naruto took it from Sasuke and put it back, shutting the drawer with an ugly thud.

He turned around, prepped himself on his elbows and relaxed his muscles as Sasuke prepared him by going in with two slick fingers. He bit on his lip, tasting the bitter taste of blood, and moaned. “Hurry up.”

He didn’t need to say it twice. Sasuke was inside him in a heartbeat. He felt his whole body ache with physical pleasure and emotional pain.

Sasuke thrust deep and slow, making Naruto feel it. His breathing was harsh against the back of Naruto’s sweat soaked neck. It all felt like a dream, and not a particularly good one. The tension was making it harder to breathe by the second. It wasn’t only sexual tension; as Sasuke slammed into him over and over again, Naruto could also feel the anger and pent-up frustration. Still, it didn’t stop them from writhing against each other in pleasure. Their moans, groans and heavy breathing filled their ears.

Naruto reached between his legs and started to pump himself. His back arched as he came in thick spurts against the bed. Sasuke was watching himself go in and out of Naruto, and after a couple more thrusts, he came too, whispering a muffled version of Naruto’s name as his brows furrowed in immense pleasure. He collapsed on the bed, next to Naruto.

They laid there for minutes, catching their breaths. Naruto could feel Sasuke’s cum leaking down his thighs. Now that his mind was clear of the need to be close to Sasuke, he could remember why he was always persistent on using a condom. This was one of the few times he’d let Sasuke fuck him without it.

The silence grew thicker and thicker. Naruto was the first one to get up, holding the sheet in place with his hands that prevented the cum from dripping to the floor. Sasuke followed him to the bathroom. They washed quietly, which almost made Naruto scream because the silence was _so fucking loud_ in his ears. Sasuke didn’t help him clean. Naruto didn’t expect him to.

They got in the bed again, ready to go to sleep. Sasuke was on his side, facing Naruto, watching him intently with his deep, dark orbs.

Naruto hoped he would say a word.

But Sasuke didn’t. He rolled to the other side. Naruto, feeling dejected, did the same. Feeling his heartbeat make his chest hurt, he let a dreamless sleep take him over.


	2. To Their Own Ways

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks a lot for the comments on the first chapter. I'm grateful! Also, thanks to my lovely beta Amethyst288. :)
> 
> Before you start reading, I just want to remind you that this is a break-up/make-up fic, if you haven't realized that yet. They're bound to break up, so please don't leave hateful comments. They won't be tolerated. Just close the window if you can't take some angst. If you're still with me, please enjoy!

The sound of his alarm going off in the living room woke Sasuke up. His body was relaxed and warm under the covers. He didn't need to open his eyes to know Naruto wasn't sleeping next to him. He'd told him he would wake up earlier than usual.

Sasuke didn't feel bad for pretty much forcing Naruto into going to the gym. It was for Naruto's benefit.

The alarm stopped ringing in a minute. He had about an hour and a half until he had to be at work, so he wasn't going to rush when he could enjoy the comfort of the bed.

Naruto must have left the bedroom door open because the furry thing touching his arm couldn't be something other than Menma. He groaned, forcing himself to open his eyes.

It wasn't like he didn't like Menma. When they were alone in the house, he would let the cat sleep next to his laptop - because apparently, Menma loved the warmth spreading from the fan. Sometimes, he would even let him nuzzle his stomach. But after things had started to go down, he felt like Naruto preferred to spend his time with Menma rather than Sasuke. A fucking cat.

Sasuke would never forgive Naruto for making him get jealous of a cat.

Yet, he found himself petting the animal. Menma took it as his cue to ask for food, meowing loudly. With a sigh, Sasuke pushed the covers off of his body and put on his robe before the chill could get to him.

He leisurely walked to the kitchen with Menma following him and replenished the food and water containers. He'd hoped to find his coffee ready, but it was just wishful thinking. Naruto had stopped starting the coffee machine when he woke up earlier than Sasuke a long time ago.

Plain oatmeal was the only thing he could stomach at the moment, so he cooked some and breathed in the scent of coffee when the machine started to pour dark, hot liquid into his mug. He watched Menma as he disappeared from the kitchen, swinging his tail, satisfied and full. Deep in thought, he started to spoon his oatmeal.

Sex last night had been good. Sasuke liked it when Naruto acted submissive and liked it even more when they didn't use a condom, but somehow, it didn't feel right. Make-up sex wasn't supposed to make one feel even worse afterward. And did Naruto think he could fix everything and make Sasuke happy by not using condoms during sex?

If that were the case, he was dead wrong.

Yesterday, Naruto had rebuffed Sasuke when he was only trying to take care of him. He'd offered to bring him a shirt because he didn't want Naruto to get sick, but if the blond was too stupid to understand that, Sasuke wouldn't bother to offer again. Naruto could do whatever the fuck he wanted.

As if he'd heard Sasuke's thoughts, Naruto turned the key and opened the front door. Sasuke rolled his eyes. He wasn't in the mood for another quarrel.

"Hey," Naruto greeted him, walking into the kitchen and placing a bag on the table. He was wearing normal clothes. The smell of his shampoo indicated he'd showered at the gym. "Lee's uncle sent him coffee seeds. He said he's had them grounded yesterday, and he knows you like your coffee fresh, so he sent you some too."

Sasuke nodded half-heartedly. "Thanks."

"It smells amazing. Here, smell it for yourself." He opened the small bag and held it to Sasuke's nose. It really smelled fantastic, the aroma was incredibly strong.

"I agree," he confessed, taking in Naruto's look. Some exercise had obviously cheered him up. His cheeks were flushed still, and his eyes shone brightly. "Tell Lee I said thanks."

Naruto grinned. "I already did. You don't have to go to work for another hour, right? We can drink some."

The idea wasn't so bad, and Naruto seemed to be happy this morning. He was still upset, but the brightness of Naruto's smile boosted his mood. "Sure."

He watched Naruto start the coffee machine again, then take out a bowl and pour cereal and milk into it before sitting down. He bit his tongue to stop himself from commenting on his choice of food. "Have you fed Menma?"

"I have."

Naruto froze for a second, then spoke with a strained tone. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Sasuke stood up and put his bowl in the sink. "I'm going to get dressed."

"I was hoping we could talk for a while."

Was Naruto declaring he was ready to have 'the talk' without storming out? He turned around and carefully studied Naruto's indifferent face. "Talk?"

Naruto shrugged and swallowed his bite. "Chat? You know, what normal people do."

It took all his willpower to not snap at Naruto. How could he say that? They hadn't been chatting like normal people for  _months_.

"Are you just gonna stand there?"

"Yes.  _Is that bothering you?_ " His own voice wasn't recognizable to his ears for a second.

Naruto frowned and put the spoon down. He pushed the chair away, standing right in front of Sasuke, and tried putting a hand on Sasuke's cheek only to have it slapped away. The line between his light brows deepened as his eyes widened. "Is something bothering you? You know you can talk to me about anything."

A hysteric chuckle left Sasuke's throat. The idiot was just fucking with him. That had to be it.

"Talk to me, baby," Naruto whispered, pulling him in for a hug. Sasuke's heart tightened in his chest. Embraces of the blond when Sasuke was mad at him had stopped being comforting a long time ago. His nails dug into his palms, burning the skin there.

"Itachi called me in. I have to get going," he coldly said. The strength he needed to push Naruto away wasn't there, so he took a calming breath while waiting for his boyfriend to pull away himself.

Naruto sighed, his warm breath hitting Sasuke's neck. Slowly, he took a step back, then planted an unsure kiss on Sasuke's cheek. "Okay."

What he saw twinkling in the familiar, blue orbs was only sadness. Wordlessly, he left the kitchen, trying to get his mind to focus on the work that needed to be done that day. But the image had been carved into his mind already.

He was the one hurting inside. So, why did Naruto look so hurt now when he was only happy to ignore it for so long? If ignorance really were bliss, why would a simple cold shoulder upset Naruto?

He brushed his teeth, wore his suit and checked his hair in the bathroom mirror before grabbing his phone, keys, wallet and placing his laptop in his work briefcase. No sounds came from the kitchen. He gave Menma one last look and opened the door to leave, forgetting about the coffee.

* * *

 

Naruto's hands were resting on the countertop and his eyes were tightly shut. He waited until Sasuke was no longer within hearing distance, and once he was sure, he kicked the chair Sasuke had sat on with brutal force.  _"Fuck!"_

All his efforts to reach him. Everything he'd sacrificed to break his walls. Sasuke didn't give a damn anymore.

The sudden pang in his chest forced him to kneel down. His breathing was erratic; he clutched his chest to no avail. Naruto always lived his emotions to the fullest, and this was one of the only times in his life he saw that as a curse because he was almost sure he was having a panic attack.

He was furious. He shouldn't let Sasuke get to him like that.

Breathing in deeply, he lowered himself to the ground and laid down on the soft carpet. The whole world seemed to fade before his eyes and living seemed pointless, but deep down, he knew he thought that just because he was seeing things behind a curtain of emotions.

What was he supposed to do now? He'd tried everything. Getting close to Sasuke was almost impossible now; he'd shut Naruto out completely. The idea of having a simple chat with Naruto for 5 minutes seemed to repel Sasuke.

It all came down to one thing. Sasuke really wasn't interested in Naruto anymore.

The thought hurt.

It hurt,  _God_ , it hurt so much to think about it, but it made perfect sense. Sasuke didn't want to spend time with him at all, let alone giving him affectionate kisses and hugs like he used to. On the ferry, he had told that he didn't care whether Naruto stayed or left. At least that's what Naruto had interpreted, and this proved him right.

Everything in the last 7 months only seemed to concretise that thought.

A light weight on his stomach distracted him from his thoughts. Menma had climbed on top of him, massaging Naruto's belly with his tiny paws.

"Hey," Naruto lifted his head from the floor and forced himself to smile. All he got in response was a blank stare, but the cat's presence helped him subside. "You're a good companion, Menma."

The cat purred.

"Wish you could speak too, but it's fine." He closed his eyes. His hand started to pet the white furs on Menma's stomach. "Sasuke can go fuck himself, right?"

Menma jumped, clawing Naruto's hand as he did when the sound of the coffee starting to stream down interrupted their little moment. There was no way he could drink that coffee now, but he knew someone who would.

. . .

Naruto pushed the door with his shoulder and hurriedly entered the office. Since they didn't have a project this week, nobody was there except for one.

"Shika. Brought you coffee," he placed the thermos mug on the desk of the man with dark hair in a high pony that made his head resemble a pineapple.

The man turned his chair and put his hands behind his head. "Naruto. I wasn't expecting you to come in today."

"Well, I had nothing to do. Thought we could hang out." He put a grin on his face and sat down on his own office hair. Their desks were close; Naruto had had the office decorated in a way the whole team could easily see and communicate with each other. "What are you doin'?"

"Playing Solitaire."

Naruto raised a brow.

"What? We're not working. I don't need to lie."

He gave a gentle laugh. "Taste the coffee."

Shikamaru reached for the mug and took a tentative sip. His facial expression softened immediately. "It's really good. Where did you get this?"

"My neighbor's uncle. Wait, maybe you know Lee. He's the owner of the gym I go to."

"No idea," Shikamaru clicked his tongue.

"You'd know him if you got your butt out of that chair every once in a while." He sighed and looked around. The office looked clean. Shikamaru was the laziest person he'd ever known, but was a genius and liked to keep his surroundings tidy. "Should we get the walls repainted?"

"No. It's a waste of money. The paint is still in good shape. So, Naruto, what really brought you here?"

Naruto's gaze shifted from the wall to Shikamaru. He'd hoped his friend wouldn't take notice. Trying to keep his voice from cracking was tough as he spoke. "What do you mean? I told you, I'm just bored."

"Cut the crap, Uzumaki." Shikamaru settled the mug on his desk and rolled his chair toward Naruto's desk. The shiny ring on his finger caught Naruto's attention. Shikamaru was engaged for almost two years now. "What has he done this time?"

Lying to Shikamaru was a waste of breath. The man could read his face like an open book. He fidgeted uncomfortably, grabbing the small, orange stapler from his desk to keep his hands occupied. "I don't know. I don't think this is working anymore."

Shikamaru scowled, his entire focus on Naruto. "What makes you think that?"

"He's distanced from me completely." He gulped, the sound audible. Shikamaru didn't say anything as Naruto processed his thoughts. "…He won't chat with me. We're like two strangers living together, only speaking if we have to. Insulting each other. And yesterday… While we were on the ferry, returning from Chiba…"

"What happened?"

"I made a comment about taking care of him if he gets lung cancer. He told me I'm not obliged to take care of him and can leave if I want to. He was acting like such a douche, Shika. I can't pretend I'm fine with this anymore." The emotions from earlier came back like a tidal wave. He threw his head back and took a deep breath, hoping to rein himself in.

"I see," Shikamaru murmured. "Have you tried confronting him?"

"I tried talking this morning… I can't stand another fight, Shika." Not being able to take sitting anymore, he dashed to the water cooler and filled one plastic cup with cold water, downing it in one go. "If he likes living like this, fine. I won't make any efforts from now on. He'll eventually have to pull his head out of his ass."

"I hope so." With a shake of the head, Shikamaru rolled the chair back to his own desk and started a new game of Solitaire.

Naruto started walking to his friend. "Dude. You win in less than 5 minutes. Why do you still play this game?"

"Habits," he answered without looking away from the screen. "I've played it for years. It's not easy to give it up."

For some reason, his words put a lump in Naruto's throat.

* * *

 

Sasuke sucked on his bottom lip as he patiently waited for Karin to bring in the documents he'd asked for. The painkiller he'd taken half an hour ago didn't seem to fully work, but at least he could comprehend the words he read now.

A knock was heard, then a woman with shoulder length red hair opened the door. "Sasuke."

"Put them on the desk," he groaned. His hands were rubbing his temples to ease the ache.

"Do you want me to bring more painkillers?"

"No," he looked up. Karin was adjusting the collar of her white shirt, watching him with intent eyes. "I told you to keep your make-out sessions out of the office."

"W-what?" She stuttered, pushing her glasses up. "I didn't make out with anyone."

"Tsk," he rolled his eyes at her useless attempt to hide it. "Then your lipstick must've smudged while you're drinking coffee."

Karin blushed faintly. She wasn't the type to get perturbed over this, though. Giving an annoyed sigh, she clicked her tongue. "Fine. Sorry. It won't happen again."

"That's what you said yesterday. Do whatever you want with him outside of work hours, but next time, send Neji to fetch the prints if you can't keep your hands off Suigetsu."

Stomping her feet, Karin made her way to the door. Before leaving, she turned around. "Oh, Itachi-san said he wants you in the meeting room in 15 minutes."

With that, she closed the door. At that moment, he didn't feel like scolding her for her behavior. That could be done later, but first, the issue with Naruto had to be taken care of, as soon as possible. Work had distracted him for a while, but the pain was preventing him from fully focusing. He couldn't live like this; they had to talk things through and find a solution. Simple as that.

They were two adults, they could to this. Problems weren't going to solve themselves.

So, as he reached for the papers Karin had brought and stood up, he had made his decision. It had to be tonight.

. . .

"Are you in a rush, little brother?"

Wearing his mask of indifference, Sasuke walked through the open door of Itachi's office. The man had the ability to observe the office even behind lowered blinds. "No. I'm done for the day."

"Hm," Itachi crossed his legs. His gaze was intense, almost penetrative. "I was hoping you'd stay a bit more. We can order takeout. I will work until midnight, so I'll get lonely. I could use some company."

Sasuke's brow twitched. "Ask Neji to stay. I have plans."

"He's my secretary, not my boyfriend," he stated then paused. "Ah, I see. Naruto must be waiting for you. How was the trip with your boy toy, by the way?"

Sasuke was slowly reaching the end of his tolerance for Itachi's games.

Stolen glances at the meeting, coming to his office to 'see what he was up to'… He was no fool. Itachi was up to something again. "It was good. And Naruto is  _not_  my boy toy. Now if you'll excuse me." He took a step to leave.

"Sasuke."

He snapped. "What?"

Itachi fingered his long, dark bangs to the side, revealing his sharp cheekbones. "I don't like seeing you upset. If you don't want to talk, at least assure me that you're okay."

"I'm peachy. And I'll be even better if you let me leave."

With a weary sigh, Itachi waved his hand. Sasuke didn't bother to bid him a word of goodbye as he left the office.

Once inside of his car, he disrobed his suit jacket and carefully hung it on the back of the passenger seat. He unbuttoned and rolled up his sleeves, then loosened his tie. It had been a long day. But the short vacation really had worked, he guessed, because his back didn't ache. Despite how everything was sour between them, he made a mental note to thank Naruto later for suggesting to take some time off.

He parked the car in front of the supermarket. He didn't want to waste much time here, but he was pretty sure Naruto hadn't remembered to buy rice. In record time, he was paying for a bag of rice and 6 bottles of beer in a cardboard holder. He wasn't a huge fan of alcohol since he liked to keep his mind sharp at all times, but Naruto liked to drink beer so they usually had some in the fridge.

The drive to their apartment was much faster, the supermarket was really close, and after pulling over next to Naruto's car, he grabbed the shopping bag and his jacket, getting out. The car was locked with a beep.

The anxiousness bubbling in his stomach was unsettling, but it was no reason to chicken out. They would at least resolve the situation. Standing in the middle ground and constantly wondering if things would go better had stopped being promising months ago. Sasuke was more than ready to do this.

* * *

 

"Mm," Naruto drank the remaining soup in the plastic cup, making slurping sounds. He hadn't had ramen at all in 3 days. At some point, he'd learned how to cook it, but instant ramen was still much easier and faster. He put the cup down and wiped his mouth with his sleeve, lying down on the couch. Menma was nowhere to be seen. Pushing the button on the remote, he switched the channel. The room looked a bit somber, the sun had set almost fully. The curtains were still drawn and Naruto was too lazy to turn on the lights.

Humming a soft melody, he started thinking about what he would do this week. They could go bowling with his work team. Ino wasn't into it, she was more of a pilates girl, but he was sure Sai could convince him. And Shikamaru would be there to watch as long as Temari allowed him to go.

Women really were troublesome, like Shikamaru often said. Naruto hadn't dated any, Sasuke was the only romantic interest he'd ever had. But he could imagine Shikamaru's fianceé pestering him into a wedding. It wasn't like Shikamaru didn't love her, but they were still a bit too young to get married. At least that was what Naruto thought.

If any projects were offered to them, they would start on Friday and think it through on the weekend. Naruto was the captain of their small team, so he usually took care of these, but Shikamaru was really helpful too. Sai was only interested in the graphic part, and Ino was interested in him.

He quietly laughed to himself. It was hilarious how Sai seemed to have no idea about Ino's crush on him. But Naruto had to admit, even if he liked to tease the girl, Ino was amazing at her job. Having a woman in the team definitely was a good idea.

The smile on his face faded upon hearing the door open. He tried not to frown as he tried paying attention to the show on the screen of their flat TV.

"Hey," Sasuke's deep voice was heard from the kitchen. "You want beer?"

"Sure," he casually replied. Sasuke's footsteps were heard. He passed the bottle to Naruto, who took it without hesitation. "Thanks."

"What is this show?" He sat in the armchair.

So the great Uchiha had decided he wanted to chat. He acted like a spoiled kid. It almost made Naruto cringe. He angled his head to glare at Sasuke, but his gaze softened when he saw Menma was on Sasuke's lap. Pale and long fingers were scratching the cat's chin. "I don't know. Was just flippin' through the channels."

"Hn." Naruto watched the thoughtful expression on Sasuke's face as he gulped his beer. The memory of last night was very clear before his eyes. The man he would  _die_  for. The face he wanted to look at for the rest of his life. Now, they were just vague words. They weren't even able to communicate anymore. "How was your day?"

His fingers tightened around the bottle. "Good."

Sasuke wearily breathed out. Naruto looked at the TV again, only to see a black screen.

"Why did you turn it off?"

"Naruto. We need to talk."

His eyes widened in fury. "Talk?  _Talk?_ I've been trying to talk to you for weeks!"

The way Sasuke's eyes gleamed with annoyance didn't have any effect on Naruto.

Sasuke gently let Menma go, watching the way he jumped down from the armchair and went away before he looked at Naruto again. "Not chit-chat. Our relationship isn't doing great, which is something you should've noticed before."

"Noticed?" He slammed the empty bottle against the coffee table and sat up. "What the fuck are you talking about? You think I don't know that?"

Sasuke bolted from his seat. "I don't know, Naruto.  _Do you?_ Because you act like you're fucking oblivious to everything going on." Sasuke was walking back and forth in the room with fisted hands. He looked like he was possessed by his emotions.

Naruto sneered. "All this time, I was wondering why you never cared about my efforts to put us on the right track." The cold edge to his voice carried danger. "I've really been oblivious. I can see that now. It wasn't that you didn't care - you didn't give a shit to even  _notice_ , did you?"

"Didn't give a shit?!" Sasuke barked and stopped walking. "What gear is broken in your head? You think I would put myself in this situation if I didn't give a shit? And what efforts are you talking about? All you did was to act like everything is fine."

It wasn't surprising how fast they both flared up.

"So tell me, if you know everything like you claim to do," Naruto stood up, although his legs were trembling with pure rage. "Was I supposed to pick up fights every time you did something that bothered me? Because believe me,  _Sasuke_ , doing that would be much easier for me. I tried to calm myself down by being alone when you hit a nerve so I wouldn't hurt you, but apparently, you don't know what to do with kindness."

Sasuke dramatically put his hands on his hips. "Are you stupid? Are you really telling me you expected our problems to magically disappear?"

"You left me no choice," Naruto growled and walked toward Sasuke, hitting his small toe to the leg of the table in the process, but he couldn't care less. "You asshole. You don't even wanna talk to me for 5 minutes in the morning and expect me to come tell you what's wrong on my side. I booked a fucking hotel room hoping we could bond again when in truth, even convincing you to have sex is torture."

"Have you ever wondered why?" He bit out. "Because I don't want to use you for physical relief. I want sex to be emotional between us, not just a way to… release frustration. But you," he pressed his finger on Naruto's chest. "Come to me only when you're horny or mad. Like my emotions don't matter at all."

"That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my whole fucking life." He took a step back to cut the physical contact or else he would try to break the other man's finger.

Sasuke ran an agitated hand through his hair and undid the top three buttons of his shirt.

Naruto didn't give a damn about the purple spot the action revealed. Right now, he didn't want to remember how last night, he'd gave it to Sasuke.

"So you deny that you stay away from me? That you run away like a fucking pussy every time we have a fight?"

"Me? Staying away from you?" He took a daring step forward, closing the distance he'd just created. "I tried to approach you every damn time I had the chance. You shut me out. You don't even look me in the eye. You're a coward  _and_  a bastard. I tried my best."

"Am I the one storming out instead of trying to find a solution? Am I the one plastering fake grins on my face and deceiving everyone - including myself - into thinking we're fine?"

"I told you, I did that because I didn't want to hurt you!"

Sasuke's chuckle was crusty. "I'm a grown man, Naruto. I can afford to get hurt a little bit."

Naruto tried forming a sentence, but his mind was too occupied to say anything. He licked his lips and tried cooling down. "You have no right to judge me. I did what I thought was right. I at least  _tried_  when all you did was insult me and trying to change me. You –  _you_  fucking think we'll be fine if I start taking my coffee without sugar? That is so shallow. Even for  _you_."

Sasuke glowered. "You're delusional. That has nothing to do with this."

"Yeah,  _right_ ," Naruto let out a hollow chuckle. "What's your point, Sasuke? You wanna talk? Okay, let's talk. Should I start from how much of an asshole you are? Or you wanna start? Maybe you wanna talk about why you think telling me I can leave if I want to is fine? Is this some sort of a game?"

"I don't—"

" _Let me. Fucking. Talk._ " He took a shuddering breath. "What kind of person tells their boyfriend they can leave if they want to? What is wrong with you? Do you really want me to leave  _that bad_? I know you're blinded by your ego, but gotta open your eyes and fucking see that your goddamned words hurt me."

Sasuke's lower lip trembled. "All this time you never said a word about this. Now you're hurt? Stop the act, Naruto. I was the one hurting, and I showed that to you in every single way I know. If it didn't get to you, then it's not my fault."

"How can you be so…" Naruto pivoted on his heel to hide his face. He could barely restrain himself from beating the shit out of Sasuke. Was this the man he'd fallen in love with?

He didn't think so.

His breathing was irregular when he finally found the strength to face Sasuke again. "You want to break up, don't you?"

Surprise flashed in Sasuke's dark eyes. "What?"

"Don't look so surprised Sasuke," he managed to smirk. The welling up in his eyes, sadly, wasn't something he could manage to stop. "Your words, your actions practically  _scream_  it. You're just not interested anymore. I'm not enough for you. Say it. Man up and say the words, and I'll leave you be."

Through gritted teeth, Sasuke spoke. "How dare you."

"Is there someone else?" Naruto harshly wiped his eyes before tears found a chance to fall. "At least be honest. You owe me that much. Is it someone from the office? Is it why you're so unwilling to get intimate with me? I know you can get it up when you want to so it has to be someone else."

"You son of a bitch," Sasuke threw a punch across Naruto's cheek. The pain wasn't even comparable to the emotional toll, but Naruto couldn't return the punch for Sasuke pushed him down on the couch and climbed on top of him. "How dare you fucking say that?"

He punched Naruto again, and this time, using more force.

"Can't even admit the truth, huh?" Naruto smiled bitterly to himself. The situation wasn't even amusing. The smile died, and he found himself raising his fist to return the gesture at last.

"There's no one else, you fucker," Sasuke groaned as Naruto's hand met his face.

"Then what?!" Naruto screamed at the top of his lungs. "What the fuck do you want from me?!"

Sasuke blocked Naruto's swipe this time, pinning his hands above his head. Sasuke's left cheekbone was dark red now. Naruto had apparently lost control and used too much power. As Sasuke tried holding Naruto's hands down, Naruto became aware of how dangerously close their bodies were. Their breaths were mingling together each time they breathed out.

A lone tear trickled down his cheek that throbbed with pain, but his gaze never left Sasuke's.

They needed to split… or he would burn.

Sasuke's abrupt kiss left him breathless. He moaned, wiggling under Sasuke's weight to escape, but Sasuke wasn't letting him go. The body above him was so familiar, so warm and hard against his own.

He felt his chest tighten. He turned his head to stop the kiss and pushed Sasuke using all his force. " _Let go_."

"You push all my buttons for your own convenience," Sasuke said with obscured disgust while he stood up. "How did I tolerate this for months?"

Naruto felt dizzy for a second. "…You asshole. Go fuck yourself." He was surprised he didn't trip and fall as he walked to the bedroom.

"Running away again?  _How mature_ ," Sasuke followed him. "Go. Yeah, I can live with that. That's apparently what I've been doing until now. Go ahead and hope that everything will be fine. Pray for a miracle."

The suitcase he hadn't unpacked yet was standing next to the bathroom door. He grabbed Menma's cage. The cat was sleeping on the bed, so he gently lifted him and put him in the cage before closing the door with shaky hands.

"I could've had this conversation with Menma and  _he_  would find a solution. You, Naruto. You're a coward. You run away from problems instead of solving them."

He silently grabbed his backpack that held his laptop, his suitcase, and Menma's cage. His knees trembled, but he still walked to the front door. He grabbed his things and stuffed them in his backpack while still feelings Sasuke's death stare on him.

"What are you planning to do now?" Sasuke's voice had softened.

Naruto bit his lip to stop himself from breaking down in front of Sasuke. Naruto put his shoes on and grabbed the bags, almost dropping the cage in the process. He opened the door with his elbow and stepped out.

"Naruto. Where are you going?" He stopped Naruto from closing the door by grabbing his wrist.

It was killing him how he couldn't slap the hand away because his hands were full. It was killing him that Sasuke was touching him at all. "Don't touch me," he spat. "Don't fucking touch me."

His tone must've meant something to Sasuke. Normally, he wouldn't listen to Naruto in a situation like this, but he let go. "Tell me where you're going," he demanded.

Naruto looked up to meet Sasuke's gaze. Sasuke looked confused, hurt, but still angry. Like he had right to be angry at all. "None of your business. All you need to know is, Uchiha Sasuke," he breathed out and turned around to not see the oncoming reaction. "I hate you. I fucking hate you."

With that, he shut the door with a click.

Collapsing on the floor was not something he wanted to deal with, so he gathered all the strength he had and pushed the button for the elevator. He could feel Menma moving inside the cage. Even though the cat had stayed asleep during their fight, the cage must be moving a lot. His hands were trembling like crazy. Driving was going to be rough.

He unlocked the car, fighting the urge to break Sasuke's car's windows, and put Menma in the passenger seat before throwing his bags in the back. An emotional breakdown was still threatening to take over him.

Sleeping at the office wasn't an option. He didn't want to explain things to Shikamaru in the morning. He had to put himself together first. Also, he hadn't gotten Menma's litter box or food. Having his cat poop in the middle of the floor and tearing the documents to pieces was out of the question.

So, he started to drive to the only place that would welcome him without demanding explanations.

* * *

 

Sasuke didn't feel like getting up from the couch. Ever since Naruto had left, which was about an hour ago, he was lying down and staring at the ceiling, completely lost in thought. When he realized the answers weren't written on the ceiling, he sat up with a groan, his head down, body slightly leaned forward and his hands joined together. His brain was trying to catch up with the events. It had happened so fast – they had fucked this up in a record speed. Sasuke just wanted to make things okay. What had went wrong?

He felt cold. Absentmindedly, he reached for the orange throw blanket on the back of the couch. The familiar scent of Naruto enveloped his senses, making it hard for him to breathe just because the pain was making his heart beat painfully in his chest. He scrubbed his face with his hands, trying to overcome the urge to throw up. The last words Naruto had said were ringing in his ears over and over again.  _I hate you. I fucking hate you._ His usually sparkling eyes were a dull navy blue as he'd said that, his face flushed red and God, Naruto had looked so… broken.

Sasuke knew Naruto. That man was impetuous and headstrong, but he wouldn't just throw out words like  _love_  and  _hate_  without meaning them. The knowledge didn't help Sasuke cope with the situation.

Maybe his words were harsher than necessary, but he was just trying to make Naruto understand how much he hated the miscommunication between them. The blond was not a baby, Sasuke knew he could take some bad words. But leaving like that?

True, it was their worst fight by far. They had never hit each other before. But they had already established running away did not help with anything.

Feeling himself getting enraged, he threw the blanket over his shoulder to the floor and stood up, making his way toward the bedroom to shower. Maybe water could help him relieve some stress and start thinking logically.

He opened the closet doors and grabbed a random t-shirt. As he kneeled down to pick a bottom, his eyes noticed the place that normally held Menma's travel box was empty. Of course, he knew why. He'd seen Naruto take Menma along with him.

But… why?

Why had he taken his stuff? Naruto always came back home after he calmed down. He wasn't the one to crash at a friend's place just because they'd had an argument. No, this was something much more problematic. Sasuke stood up with shaky knees, looking around to confirm that Naruto's suitcase and backpack were gone along with his work laptop. He wasn't working this week. There wasn't a need to take his laptop.

Naruto wasn't coming back.

Realization hit Sasuke like a freight train. His boyfriend of 7 years. His best friend. The man he'd always admired. The only person on earth he laughed and cried with.

Was gone.

When his knees finally gave up on him, he sat down on the bed, trying to think. Naruto had broken up with him. Even if he hadn't said it with words, apparently, he thought leaving and saying he hated Sasuke was enough.

Naruto was hurt. Great. So was Sasuke. But he didn't see Sasuke packing his shit and leave.

What was going to happen now? Were they over forever? What was happening? His brain, that normally didn't have a panicking function, was freaking out. Fury, hurt, confusion. They were all mixed in Sasuke's body as his hands gripped the sheets tight enough to make his knuckles look white.

Hot moments they had shared yesterday on this very bed. Had Naruto planned this? Why make Sasuke fuck him if he was going to leave?

Nothing made sense and Sasuke was just… so fucking furious. Naruto had left, even though he was the reason their relationship had broken apart. He should've fought, he should've agreed to Sasuke and help him find a solution.

"You want a break-up?" He groaned to the empty room with newfound disgust. "Okay. Let's break-up."

He bolted to Naruto's pillow, stripping it from its case, popping some of the seams in the process. The sheets followed it. He tucked them in the washer, almost breaking the glass of the door as he closed it. He was breathing in and out quickly, his rage almost palpable. Grabbing Naruto's toothbrush, he threw it to the small trashcan. Just as he was about to leave, he realized he'd forgotten to throw away the shampoo. Naruto had left the cap open and Sasuke breathed in the scent without intending to do so.

"That fucker…" He whispered to himself. Did Naruto really think Sasuke loved someone else now? How did he even dare to say that? Sasuke had never seen someone other than Naruto like that. All the dedication, all the loyalty he felt toward Naruto.

He had been so wrong. Naruto didn't deserve one bit. Sasuke wasn't going to let Naruto confuse him with his shit. He'd done all he could to save their relationship, but if Naruto wanted to go, he could go.

"See if I care," he darkly chuckled to himself, half groggy, stalking to the kitchen to do some cleaning there. The first thing that caught his eyes were as always, the cereal boxes lined up on top of the fridge. He took them all and found a black garbage bag to throw them in. All the sweet stuff followed next – he let the salty crackers stay because  _Naruto never ate them anyway,_ and he changed the tablecloth to get rid of the disgusting orange color.

He picked up Menma's food containers and litter box, emptying them before putting them next to the front door. There were boxes under the bed, he was sure of it. A victorious, bitter smile spread on his face when he pulled the flat cardboards out, making them return to the box shape with swift movements. Starting from the bedroom, he threw Naruto's belongings in them, not giving a damn about some of them being fragile. Naruto could shove the broken pieces up his ass. Menma's toys, throw blankets in the living room, stuff in Naruto's drawer in the dresser. Everything had to go away.

"Go to hell," he said through his teeth as he hurled the hair product to the box. It landed inside with the cap open, some liquid starting to ooze out. Sasuke closed the box and carried it to the living room. He wasn't sure what to do with the boxes yet, but he figured he would throw them away if Naruto never came back to get them.

Hours later, a very tired Sasuke finished stacking the boxes on top of each other. He looked around for anything forgotten. Menma's containers he had put there before were stuffed into a random box before he deemed the house  _clean._

He was too spent to shower. Quickly climbing into the bed, he pulled the covers over himself. Being alone in the bed was an unfamiliar feeling. He had been sleeping with someone by his side since college after all, but he would get used to sleeping alone too.

It sure wouldn't be harder than getting used to living without Naruto.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	3. Withdrawal Symptoms

It had taken a long time for Sasuke to fall asleep. First, it was too cold. He’d pulled out another duvet from the closet, and then, it was too hot. A thinner blanket had provided him the right temperature, then, it was too quiet without someone else breathing next to him.

So, after hours of tossing and turning, he’d dozed off and slept through the alarm. He hurriedly took a shower – because he was late anyway, and put on a clean suit. His phone was still in his briefcase since he hadn’t taken it out last night. He guessed it was the reason why he hadn’t heard it go off. With a frown, he saw there was only one missed call from Itachi.

If it were two, he would be concerned that something was wrong. But one meant Itachi knew he was in a bad shape and confirmed it with trying to reach him once. He absolutely hated it. Itachi was either going to rile him up about this, or worse, try to play the role of the caring older brother. Both possibilities made Sasuke wince in distaste.

He tried not to think about the fact that he didn’t have any missed calls or texts from Naruto since last night as he drove. Whenever he recalled anything, his hands started to tremble. His resolve was simple. He was going to pretend last night had never happened and he’d never had a boyfriend.

Although, he knew both, especially the latter was impossible to make himself believe. 7 years was not something he could forget. The two had practically grown up together. Their personalities had developed in a way that balanced each other. The closest person on earth to him was Naruto. Cutting their bond just like that wouldn’t be easy.

But he had to. For his own sake. If Naruto were able to do it, so could he.

Before he realized, he was already in front of the Uchiha Corporate headquarters. He figured he could smoke a cigarette before he went it. Normally, he absolutely despised people who were late, but Itachi was going to give him a headache. He had an excuse and deserved one cigarette before facing the devil.

He took his time, slowly inhaling and exhaling the gray smoke. It burned his throat and gave relief to his lungs. It was a momentary joy, but he didn’t have much of those, so it was fine.

By the time the cigarette burned out, Sasuke was feeling a lot worse than when he’d first started smoking. The words Naruto had said haunted him and the words he had said in response weighed down on his conscience. This was an ugly dilemma. Naruto had hurt him. Sasuke had hurt Naruto, although he had learned about it last night.

They had done nothing but to cause each other pain.

He also knew this was not true at all. Before pain came, there was happiness and comfort found in each other’s presence. All the amazing sex they had, sweet nothings whispered in each other’s ears, light brushes and kisses they gave when the other was tired and stressed. Even just sitting side by side.

They were all in the past now.

The elevator dinged and the door opened. He didn’t have time to change his course and avert the oncoming talk. His nightmare was already standing right in front of him.

“Good morning, brother,” Itachi smiled. “Would you like some coffee?”

“Are you stalking me?” Sasuke asked with a tired groan.

“I saw you smoke and decided to wait here. Let’s go to my office.”

“No, thanks,” Sasuke tried to go past Itachi, but was stopped by a strong arm.

“Coffee.  _ Now _ .”

Itachi’s tone gave Sasuke no chance to refuse. Ignoring the glances from their coworkers, he followed Itachi to his office. The older man locked the door behind them. Two mugs of coffee were already waiting on his desk. He was prepared for this. Sasuke put his briefcase in one armchair and seated himself in the other.

“I’m sure you already know why you’re here,” Itachi spoke. “Don’t look so ill at ease.”

“I don’t need you to lecture me,” he tersely said, taking a sip of the strong coffee. “I won’t be late again.”

“You’ve made a mistake.”

“What mistake? He’s the one who left me.” His voice surprisingly didn’t shake.

Itachi narrowed his eyes. “Naruto left you?”

Sasuke tried to read Itachi’s face. Itachi was professionally good at hiding his emotions, but what greeted Sasuke was pure shock. He cleared his throat, his unease growing. “…What were you talking about?”

“The documents I asked you to file yesterday.” He raised a groomed brow. “You were distracted, weren’t you?”

Sasuke made a low, disgruntled sound. His personal life should never have affected his work. It was a shame. It was all Naruto’s fault. “Send them to my office. I’ll look over them once more.”

“Will do, but.” He grabbed Sasuke’s wrist, who was preparing to stand up. “You and I need to have a talk about the other matter.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Sasuke snorted. “It’s over. He left. End of the story.”

“It’s not that simple,” Itachi reclined in his seat. “But I’ll let you get away with this for now. Try to pay more attention to what you’re doing, little brother. I don’t tolerate mistakes. And neither does father.”

“Hn,” Sasuke grabbed his case and half-full mug.

Itachi didn’t comment further. He was probably saving his thoughts for later, and Sasuke couldn’t have been happier about it. His head was pounding right now and all he wanted to do was to bury himself in work until he forgot about his miserable state.

* * *

The soft sound of someone knocking on his door aroused Naruto from his deep slumber. He groaned as he rubbed his eyes with his hands and opened them. The sun was seeping in through the open blinds, warming up his feet.

“Naruto?” He heard a familiar voice. “Are you still sleeping?”

“Not anymore,” he breathed out and tried not to think about how rough his voice sounded.

“I’m coming in.” Minato pushed the door open. He looked genuinely concerned about his son’s state. “You’ve been sleeping since you came here. It’s been more than 12 hours.”

Naruto made a weird, whiny sound and rolled to his side, his back facing his dad. His chest hurt.

“Your mom’s making breakfast. You should eat something.” Naruto felt the bed dip down. “Son.”

“I don’t feel like eating,” he murmured into the pillow.

He heard Minato sigh softly. “Is this about Sasuke?”

The name itself was enough to make Naruto feel like he was suffocating. There was no way to block the pain. His dreams were full of Sasuke. Every time he opened his eyes, he expected to see Sasuke.

Sasuke was Naruto’s hell.

“I understand if you don’t want to talk about it,” Minato ran his hand through Naruto’s hair. “But you can’t spend the entire day in bed. You should get up. Shower and come downstairs.”

“Why can’t you take no for an answer?” Naruto asked, but his voice was muffled. Still, his father heard him.

“Because I don’t want to see my son suffer.”

“Then leave me alone!” He tightly shut his eyes, trying to block out the world.

Minato held Naruto’s shoulder and turned him so he was lying on his back. “I’m worried about you.”

“I’m fine,” he muttered. He heard nothing from Minato, and to see what the man was doing, he opened his eyes. The look his dad was giving him resembled the ones he would give when Naruto fell down when he was still a kid. “Dad,” he whispered.

“Hm?” Minato smiled. Naruto recalled the days when his own smile was like his dad’s. Bright and warm.

He opened his mouth to say something, but instead, he sobbed. It was a dry sob. Soon, tears started accompanying the sobs and all he could do was to try hiding his face from his dad.

“Shhh,” Minato pulled Naruto into an embrace. “Hey… It’s okay to cry.”

His hiccups subsided. He tried pushing Minato, but his dad was holding too tight to be pushed by Naruto’s weakened body. Eventually, Naruto gave up and simply enjoyed Minato’s warm arms around him and let himself be comforted. The fact that he was a grown-up didn’t matter. He was always his dad’s little boy, and his dad was always his hero. If he said crying was okay, it was okay.

“Don’t let Kushina see you like this. She’s already freaking out,” Minato chuckled.

Naruto let out a hysteric laugh. His cheeks were still wet with tears. “I can imagine.”

Minato pulled back. He was still smiling. Naruto felt safe with his father. “Now, get up. Unless you want me to wash you. Just like old times.”

“Eww, Dad,” he wrinkled his nose. “Gross.” He pushed the comforter off to his side and let his legs swing by the bed. “Oh. Can you lend me some clothes?”

Minato frowned. “I thought you brought some with you.”

“They’re dirty,” he said briefly. “It’s a long story. Don’t ask.”

His dad hummed. “Alright. But you know that you can talk to me about it, right? I won’t judge.”

“I know,” he nodded. “Thanks.”

“No need to thank me.” Minato stood up, stretching his back as he looked around the room. “This place needs some cleaning. But nevermind that now and focus on feeling better. I don’t want my wife to faint from high blood pressure.”

“She’ll be fine. She’s exaggerating,” Naruto said. His eyes were red and puffy.

“I’ll leave the clothes on your bed,” Minato explained before leaving the room. The door was ajar since he would come back. Naruto checked his phone, which was on the dresser. No missed calls, no texts. Nothing from Sasuke.

He worried on his bottom lip as he walked toward the bathroom. His old room seemed so familiar yet strange. The memories of him and Sasuke here were too much to deal with right now. He made a mental note to change a few things around.

Deciding to make it quick, he turned the water on and undressed as it heated up. It was almost scalding when he stepped into the shower stall. He lathered his hair once, just out of habit, and stood there, feeling his skin tingle and burn.

What was going to happen now? Sasuke hadn’t called. He had no problem with the break-up. It only made Naruto feel worse. Perhaps this really was what Sasuke wanted.

Either way, sleeping all day and living like a ghost wasn’t going to heal his broken heart. His father wanted him to come downstairs, and so would he. He was an adult. He could do this, and even though he knew rebound would hurt, he was going to go through all this pain and put himself back together. There was no other option.

Satisfied with his decision, he turned the water off and walked out. There weren’t any towels around. Thankfully, when he opened the door, he found an orange one on his bed.

His vision was a bit blurry as he carefully went down the stairs. Everything reminded him of Sasuke, and the last thing he needed was to break down in front of his mother. Kushina was way too meticulous about her only son.

“Naruto!” He heard the woman shout the instant his feet touched the kitchen tiles. “Oh my god! What’s wrong with your eyes?”

“It’s probably from sleeping too much,” he commented as Kushina left the pancake on the pan to burn and hugged the life out of Naruto.

“Maybe.” She seemed calm just for a second before freaking out again. “What happened?! Did Sasuke do something? I swear if that Uchiha brat hurt you in any way—“

Minato left his newspaper on the table and flipped the pancake. “We agreed on not prying, Kushina.”

The woman gave her husband a stern look. “I’m not  _ prying _ . He’s my son. I have the right to know.”

Naruto slipped from the slim arms around him and flopped down on one of the chairs around the round table. “Not now, Mom.”

“Sorry,” Kushina gave Naruto a pat on the head and walked to the coffee machine.

“Uh, Mom,” Naruto stopped her. “Do we have tea? I don’t feel like drinking coffee.”

Kushina’s eyes widened in worry, but she kept her mouth shut this time, throwing a side glance at Minato. “Sure. Do you want sugar with it?”

“Yes,” Naruto mumbled.

Meanwhile, Minato was done with pancakes. He put the plate in the middle of the table. “Eat up, son.”

“Do you want maple syrup? Jam? Honey? I can make some bacon—“

“Mom, I have a headache,” Naruto groaned, letting his head fall on the table.

“Okay, I’ll shut up,” Kushina told him. “But you gotta eat first.” She put the tea cup next to Naruto’s plate.

Naruto unwillingly reached for his fork and put one pancake on his plate. He took a look at the sweet stuff on the table. He could hear Sasuke’s voice, bitching him about eating unhealthy all the time as he did.

He got up and opened the fridge door. Cream cheese was easy to spot. He grabbed it and sat down again. His parents were giving him concerned looks again. “Stop it. I don’t want your pity,” he snapped without even realizing. The feelings he had for Sasuke were looking for a way to come out.

It was wrong to take it out on his parents like it. He knew it, but he couldn’t do anything.

Then again, he had amazing parents. He always knew that they were indulgent, even when he was a rebellious teen. This was an emergency case too. He would apologize for this later, but right now, he didn’t have the strength to do it.

As he chewed, he thought about their relationship. Minato and Kushina were the perfect couple in Naruto’s eyes. They completed each other. Although he witnessed them arguing about stuff, they never turned into what Sasuke and he had become. A good relationship wasn’t that – at least not anymore. He knew each relationship had its own characteristics, he didn’t expect to have the exact same chemistry with Minato and Kushina. But… he wouldn’t be able to spend the rest of his life like  _ that _ . With Sasuke, yes, he would love to. Lying to himself about this was no use. He didn’t hate Sasuke. How could he  _ hate _ Sasuke when his heart was filled with him?

He could live with Sasuke. But not like  _ that _ .

He was more than aware of how tense he was and how uncomfortable it made his mom. From the corner of his eye, he could see her hands shake slightly.

Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself for what was to come next. “I broke up with Sasuke.”

Two heads snapped up. “Why?” Kushina blurted. Minato remained silent, but Naruto knew he had his father’s attention.

“It’s... It wasn’t working for a long time. Not for me, and apparently not for him either.”

“But you two were happy together. I don’t understand,” Kushina muttered.

“We used to be happy. Then… something changed… It wasn’t my intention to break up. When he confronted me… I lost it completely.” He gulped audibly, his gaze roaming over the table. “He was so distant lately. He said I was ignoring our problems and he was trying to fix it… But…”

The lump in his throat stopped him from saying anything else. Kushina made a low sound of acknowledgment. Naruto knew they could  _ never _ understand what he was going through, simply because their marriage was almost perfect. But he also knew they were making an effort.

“You wanna watch a movie together? It’ll be just like old times,” Minato offered and changed the subject. It was more than obvious he was only trying to cheer Naruto up, but Naruto felt too upset to even consider a movie.

“No,” he uttered. “I don’t feel like it.”

Something soft tickled his bare foot. He looked down with knit brows. “Menma!” He picked up the cat. “Shit. I totally forgot about you.”

“Don’t worry about your cat. I got some food and litter. It should last him a week or so,” Minato scratched his chin. “But I don’t know if the wash bowl Kushina put the litter in is good for cats. Do you think it’s safe?”

“Yeah, it’s perfectly fine,” Naruto smiled at his parents as tan hands combed through the soft fur of the cat. Menma yawned, showing his pointed teeth, and started licking his paws, entirely oblivious to what was going on around him.

Kushina put her hand on Minato’s shoulder. “I told you it’s fine. You owe me 20 bucks.”

“I didn’t agree to the bet, Kushina.”

“Your dad’s getting forgetful as he ages. One day, he’ll forget to come back home and live with his cats on the street.”

Naruto gave a short laugh at his mother’s antics.

“Son,” Minato put his coffee mug down with a thud, his smile disappearing. “You said it wasn’t your intention to do it. Don’t get me wrong, but… do you regret it? Was it entirely a spur of the moment thing?”

Naruto took his time to answer. He remembered everything Sasuke had said crystal clear. Maybe he shouldn’t have walked away. Maybe they really could find a solution to all this, but even just thinking about the pain Sasuke put him through was enough to make his mind go frenzied. For his own mental health, he had to do this. He knew it. There was no other way to stop the indescribable agony. “No.”

“Good,” the blond man nodded. “You’re sure about your decision.”

“It’s for the best,” Naruto ignored the pathetic cracking of his voice. “For me.”

They were left to their own thoughts when no one dared to say another word. Menma was lazily napping in Naruto’s lap.

“You guys mind if I stay here until I get my own place?” He asked all of a sudden.

“No – of course not, honey,” Kushina stood up, starting to put the plates in a pile. “You can stay as long as you need to.”

“Thanks,” he grinned at his mother. It didn’t fully reach his eyes, but there was still a hint of happiness that he had his parents’ support.

“I’ll go get your stuff today,” Minato commented.

“I can do it myself.”

“I’ll come with you then,” his dad continued. The blue eyes that resembled his own made him think if the man could see Naruto’s heart. He was much more hurt than he showed. His heart was being shattered, yet, all he did was to smile.

“Alright,” he whispered.

“You wanna visit Kiba?” Kushina spoke while she started lining the empty plates in the dishwasher. “He’s never seen Menma, right?”

“Kiba is not exactly a cat person, but sure. Animals are animals, as he says. What does he do now?”

“He sells homemade pet food online,” Minato chuckled. “It’s a weird job, but he says people like it. I got food for Menma from him. I didn’t tell him you’re here, though. He thinks we feed the cats on the streets.”

“Isn’t that what you do?” Naruto raised a brow.

“Well, sometimes,” he put his newspaper in the recycle. “Okay. You catch up with Kiba. I’ll do what any other retired, grumpy man does and water the plants.”

“You’re not grumpy, Dad,” Naruto found himself objecting with a soft shake of the head.

“Yeah,  _ suuure _ ,” Kushina sarcastically drawled, pinching Naruto’s cheek with her soapy hand.

“Mom!”

“Go meet your friend. I have to clean,” she wiped the soap with her sleeve and kissed the spot. “Be careful when you cross the road.”

Rolling his eyes, Naruto stood up, cradling Menma in his arms still. “It’s like I’m 8 all over again.”

. . .

As he waited for somebody to answer the door, Naruto looked around. The neighborhood looked a lot different than it did when he was a kid. The buildings were older, but new houses had been built, and the gardens around looked better, probably thanks to his dad.

Unlike Naruto’s expectations, the person answering the door wasn’t Kiba. It was some dude he’d never seen before. He was wearing a hoodie and sunglasses in the house, which unnerved Naruto a bit, but he didn’t flinch as he spoke. “Hey. I was looking for Kiba.”

“Kiba?” The man repeated.

“Yes. He’s an old friend. He lives here… right?”

“Kiba…” He muttered. “He’s inside. Is that your cat?”

“Can I come in?” Naruto had so little patience for anything right now. He didn’t wait for the creep to answer, he just walked inside like it was his own apartment. Kiba was inside, so it was okay to do so. Or that was what his mind thought, which was corrupted with emotions at the moment.

The footsteps behind proved the man was following him. For a moment, he thought he might really be in the wrong house and this guy could be a psychopath – but it made absolutely no sense since his parents had said nothing about Kiba moving.

“Where is he?” He asked, struggling with trying to calm Menma down as he did. The cat had suddenly stopped napping and was trying to claw Naruto’s hands. He didn’t really mind. He was used to having scratches on his hands – or his arms and chest, per se, but that wasn’t the point.

“That room,” the guy pointed at a door. “Be careful,  _ because _ —“

Well, Naruto didn’t care enough to listen to the rest of it. He went through the open door, and starting from the first step, Menma went insane.

“Shit – calm down, buddy,” he spoke harshly. A drop of blood trickled down his hand. The huge dog in front of him explained why Menma was acting delirious and what the man had tried to explain.

The man commented. “Joke’s on you.”

He snorted. This guy was nothing like Sasuke, but the way he worked Naruto up was extremely annoying and reminded him of Sasuke.

Menma gave him another wound.

“Menma!” He yelled. The dog barked, and only then Naruto realized Kiba was nowhere to be seen. Before he got a chance to scold the weirdo, the person he was looking for stood up behind the couch. If this were a normal day, Naruto would jump, but he was emotionally exhausted to be startled.

“Naruto?” Kiba asked  incredulously. “Wow, man, I haven’t seen you in years!”

“What were you doing behind the couch?” Naruto greeted him with a brief nod.

“My laptop’s back here. Business stuff. Shino, can you take Akamaru out of here?”

Shino huffed, taking hold of the big, white dog’s collar and dragging him out of the room. He apparently cared about Kiba enough to do what he told. The instant he closed the door behind them, Kiba surged forward and hugged Naruto.

“Dude, you look like  _ crap _ ,” he bluntly said. It made Naruto’s lips twitch. He pushed Kiba lightly to let Menma on the floor, then he returned the hug.

“Thanks, asshole. You look great,” Naruto sniggered hollowly. They studied each other for a while, noticing the differences. They weren’t the snotty kids playing soccer in Naruto’s backyard anymore. “The business is going well, I presume.”

“Yeah, it’s much better than I expected,” Kiba rubbed his neck. It was like watching himself in a mirror for Naruto. “The food they sell for pets in supermarkets and most pet shops are shit. The majority of the illnesses are caused by them. And the cheap ones – don’t even get me started. I have a formula that is clean, healthy, nutritious. Even I taste it sometimes. It’s not bad. And it’s not overpriced so people like it.”

“You taste your dog’s food?” Naruto cringed. “Maybe I should leave.”

“Shut up, it tastes good,” Kiba smacked his forearm lightly. “So. What’s wrong?”

“Before we get to that, have you met Menma?” He smiled at his friend and picked up the cat wandering around the room and smelling empty chips packages. “We-“ he corrected himself, “ _ I _ got him after graduating college.”

Kiba didn’t seem to notice the slip as he took Menma from Naruto and started petting. They both sat down on the couch. “He’s adorable.”

“An adorable bastard. Look at my hand,” he murmured. The bleeding had stopped, but it stung.

“It’s your fault for traumatizing the poor kitty. Akamaru is scary for even humans and you made a cat face him.”

“Whatever. He should’ve learned by now that I will protect him at all costs.”

“Is he your kid or something?” Kiba barked out a laugh. “Anyway. If your hand’s good, shut up and tell me why you look 15 years older than you actually are.”

Naruto reached out and started scratching Menma’s neck for support. “I broke up with Sasuke.”

“You did  _ what _ ?!” Kiba shouted. He quickly realized the way Naruto flinched and his frown deepened. “I mean… why? I mean, I know I met the guy only once or twice but you always sounded so happy when you talked about him.”

Giving out an exasperated sigh, Naruto explained. “It didn’t work out for both of us lately. I had the balls to call it off unlike him.”

“You sound furious,” Kiba muttered. “Did he cheat on you or somethin’? Do you need me to kick his ass? Akamaru would rip his dick from his body, just say the word.”

Normally, Naruto would laugh at that. He thought about Kiba’s question for a second. Yesterday, he didn’t have the control of his own mouth. Yes, he thought Sasuke wanted to break up, but honestly, he didn’t believe Sasuke had eyes on anyone else. If he knew Sasuke just a little bit, the guy was perfectly fine on his own. Now that he was calmer, he could clearly comprehend he was dead wrong. Sasuke was one of the most loyal men he knew. It made him feel guilty, but the pain rapidly covered it. “No. He didn’t cheat on me.”

“You sure took your time to answer,” Kiba growled. “What’s up then? You look sad, but you sound angry.”

“Just drop it off, Kiba,” Naruto leaned back. Menma escaped Kiba’s loose grip and climbed into Naruto’s lap.

They watched the cat play with the string of Naruto’s sweatpants. “Are you gonna be staying for long?”

“Until I find my own place,” he nodded.

“Here’s the plan,” Kiba stood up. “You. Me. Hinata. Shino. The four of us are going to party  _ hard _ .”

“I don’t know,” Naruto chewed on his lip. “I don’t really feel like going out.”

“Nobody asked you if you want to.”

“You’re crazy.”

Kiba grinned. “Maybe. The old neighborhood pals partying together. Doesn’t sound bad, does it?”

“No, not really,” Naruto’s lips tipped up. “I’m just tired, Kiba. We were together for 7 fucking years. My mind still can’t accept what I’ve done.”

“Listen to me very carefully,” Kiba kneeled in front of Naruto, his hands resting on Naruto’s knees. “He  _ hurt _ you. From what I see, it was an emotionally abusive relationship. There’s no way you should scar yourself like that. You’re still young. Thousands of hot guys are out there. You can do much better than an asshole.”

Naruto knew Kiba was correct. It was obvious. “But… he’s Sasuke,” he whispered, thousands of memories hitting him like a tidal wave and causing his insides to do flips as all he could do was to sit there and hope somehow, this was a nightmare. “I told him I  _ hated _ him. Funny thing is,” he lifted his head to stare up at the ceiling. “I could never hate him. He fucking broke me, but the heart wants what it wants.”

“Then we’re going to deceive that heart. You are getting over him, and that’s that,” Kiba patted him on the thigh. “Come on. You’re not sitting here, sulking on this couch.”

“Heh. Thanks for the effort,” Naruto rubbed his teary eyes. It didn’t stop the sting. “What are we doing now?”

“First things first. We’re getting rid of everything that reminds you of him.”

“Don’t you have work to do?”

“Fuck work. I’ll have someone else handle it today.”

“Alright,” Naruto meekly said. “Dad told me he’d tag along when I went to pick up my stuff.”

“I’m coming instead. Your old man can stay home, watering his lilies,” Kiba snickered.

. . .

Minato had been okay with Kiba taking Naruto to his old apartment. He’d said something about youngsters understanding each other’s problems and offering support, and even though Naruto had no idea what the man was talking about, he’d just played along. The ride was a lot more exhausting that he’d thought it would be. Kiba constantly spoke in hopes to calm Naruto’s nerves when in truth, it only triggered them.

Also, he silently prayed that Sasuke wouldn’t be home. It was his work hours, but there was always a possibility and Naruto didn’t feel strong enough to face the man when it hadn’t even been 24 hours since their break-up.

Eventually, they arrived at the familiar building. The sight made Naruto’s stomach churn in anxiety. The way his hands had shaken when he tried entering his car. The way he’d shut the trunk door with more force than usual just to make Sasuke pissed.

Then, there were good memories. It felt like yesterday when they’d walked into the building hand in hand after moving. He’d always thought it was one of the happiest days of Naruto’s life.

Now it all felt like salt in the wound.

Kiba nudged him to walk, so he led his friend inside. It was all muscle memory, really. To be honest, he didn’t know where he was walking. He let his feet guide them inside, and his hands were visibly sweaty as they climbed the stairs.

“Naruto! Hey! Lee said you didn’t show up at the gym.”

He felt his stomach clench at the voice of his sweet neighbor, Sakura. “Hi,” he sheepishly said, forcing his lips into a smile.

Sakura’s own smile immediately dropped. “What happened to you?”

Kiba put a hand on Naruto’s shoulder. “Miss, he’s going through a tough time. Could you excuse us?”

Sakura glared at Kiba before putting her gaze on Naruto again. “…Please tell me it’s not what I think it is.”

Naruto swallowed. “So everyone saw it coming but me.”

“Jesus,” Sakura let her bag drop to the floor and pulled Naruto in for a hug. “Are you okay?”

“No, but I will be,” Naruto hugged her back loosely. “Sorry. We won’t see each other much after this, I guess.”

“Shut up,” she pulled back. Her eyes were full of sadness. “I gotta go now, but I will call you later. You won’t escape from me so easily.”

“I didn’t think so,” Naruto’s lips curled upward with force. “See you, then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo. What do you guys think? Your comments feed me! Also, I had to split this chapter in two because my beta told me it was too long, so next update will be on the weekend.


	4. Breaking The Habit

_"Jesus," Sakura let her bag drop to the floor and pulled Naruto in for a hug. "Are you okay?"_

_"No, but I will be," Naruto hugged her back loosely. "Sorry. We won't see each other much after this, I guess."_

_"Shut up," she pulled back. Her eyes were full of sadness. "I gotta go now, but I will call you later. You won't escape from me so easily."_

_"I didn't think so," Naruto's lips curled upward with force. "See you, then."_

* * *

He watched Sakura leave, then pulled out his key and unlocked the door, half expecting to see Sasuke's shoes. What he saw instead was shocking; there were boxes stacked on top of each other, and the living space looked nothing like it did when he'd left. His stuff were all gone, the throw blankets he'd bought for them were nowhere to be seen. He slowly walked into the kitchen. The spot on the fridge where his cereals rested was empty, the tablecloth was now a soft blue instead of orange.

He heard Kiba starting to carry the boxes and wanted to say something, but his mouth wouldn't cooperate. He brushed his hand against the wall as he walked down the hall and into the bedroom. Of course, Sasuke had gotten rid of everything and the bedroom wasn't an exception. He barely recognized the place. The bed sheets were black, the position of the dresser had been changed and the room looked noticeably emptier.

Heaving a sigh, he sat down on his side of the bed. It didn't feel like his side anymore at all. The pillow didn't smell like his shampoo, the nightstand wasn't occupied with his laptop or one of Menma's toys. Another important thing was, he knew when he laid there and rolled to the other side, he wouldn't find a warm body to pull into an embrace.

He was sure the sound of his heart breaking could be heard in the entire apartment.

Not certain of what to do, he touched Sasuke's pillow, cursing his hand for shaking and sweating so much. What he wanted to do was to breathe in his ex-lover's scent one last time, but he didn't have the courage to do so. He quickly checked the bathroom just in case if Sasuke had forgotten something to shove in a box. Just as he expected, all his stuff were gone there too.

Dwelling here any longer would only cause him to die inside again and again. He reminded himself that this was for the best for the nth time as he slowly shut the bedroom door and made his way to Kiba, who was waiting by the front door.

"Are you done?" Kiba inquired.

"Yeah," Naruto nodded, his eyes on the balcony door. "…Can you give me a minute?"

Kiba looked suspicious, but nodded nonetheless. "I'll wait in the car."

Naruto waited until Kiba was gone. He sauntered in the living space like he'd never seen the place before, occasionally stopping when he noticed something interesting. Like, how the lack of blankets on the couch made it look so plain and how the floor looked empty without Menma's stuff.

He found himself in front of the balcony door. He opened it, feeling the heavy wind blow and tousle his hair. Sasuke's ashtray was still there; the ashes had flown with the wind and painted the floor with an ugly black. The cigarette butt was still in.

Torturing himself with memories was the last thing he needed. He didn't look back as he closed the door and walked to the bookshelf, tearing a piece of paper from the notepad and grabbing the pen next to it.

He couldn't believe that he was going to close this chapter of his life that had lasted for 7 fucking years with a note. It wasn't fair to him, it wasn't fair to Sasuke despite his bastard-ness, and it wasn't fair to their torn-up relationship and their happy days. But if he faced Sasuke now, heard his voice and saw the repelling expression on his perfect face, Naruto knew he would never be able to get the pieces back together ever again.

He scrambled a quick note, not pouring much thought into it, letting his emotions take over. He put the note in the key bowl and on top of that, his key to the apartment, and without looking back, he left.

* * *

Sasuke was just walking back into the office after smoking his tenth cigarette of the day. The pull to breathe in the toxic fume was irresistible today. The mistake he'd made yesterday with the files had been corrected. Thankfully, it wasn't a fatal one, but Itachi wouldn't tolerate such behavior and neither would Sasuke. He had to focus.

He found Karin furiously typing something on her computer. Karin, if you didn't count her soft spot for Suigetsu, wasn't the one to slack off. She was a maverick, liked to piss off her bosses and Sasuke sometimes suspected if she had a few loose screws, but she was a hard worker and deserved every penny she made. It was the main reason Sasuke had chosen her as his secretary. Neji was pretty good too, but he worked better with Itachi.

"What are you doing?" He asked with a hoarse voice. Smoking more than he usually did had affected his vocal cords.

"Ask your brother," she snorted, pushing her glasses back.

Sasuke leaned in to see the screen of the computer. He was familiar with the view. Karin was preparing the files for the meeting with Hyuuga Corp. "That's Neji's job," he stated, arching a brow in confusion. "Why are you doing it?"

"I said ask your brother," Karin growled, rubbing the side of her face as she grabbed the mouse.

" me a copy when you're finished," he ordered, taking her brief nod as his cue to leave. He wasn't intimidated by the woman, but when Karin was mad, things turned ugly.

As much as he wanted to find out why Karin was so busy, Sasuke wasn't going to get involved with Itachi without a reason, especially today. He grabbed a bottle of cold water to moisten his throat before opening the door to his office.

The sight that greeted him wasn't pleasant in the slightest. For most people, it was more than pleasant, but for Sasuke, it was hell.

"I wasn't expecting you to come here for another 15 minutes," Itachi said, fully relaxed, sitting in Sasuke's chair like this was  _his_  office.

Sasuke raked a hand through his hair, knowing his oncoming question would be ignored. "What are you doing in my office?"

"Your voice sounds like a 50-year-old man's," Itachi said with a thoughtful expression. "Maybe you could drink the water instead of trying to blow up that bottle with your grip."

Leaving the door open, Sasuke took a swig of his water, then took a folder from the bookcase and sat down on the chair before the desk, completely ignoring his brother's stare as he started going through it. "Why is Karin doing Neji's work?"

"Neji is too busy with trying to figure out how to destroy his own family business. She was idle."

Sasuke merely snorted.

"I've decided on a change of plans," Itachi suddenly started to explain. Sasuke didn't lift his head, paying little attention to the older man. "You will be participating in the Hyuuga meeting tomorrow."

This had Sasuke's attention. "What?"

"You heard me. You know how to deal with paperwork. It's time for you to take a step into the real business world."

"You have double standards, Itachi. I'm not letting you choose my business for me. You stopped me from attending non-Uchiha meetings. You can't keep changing your mind for your own convenience."

"That is not what I'm doing, Sasuke," Itachi leaned forward, placing his elbows on the top of the desk. "I tried my best to keep you away from the discomfort of dealing with unpleasant situations, but it's time you learn how to."

"I can perfectly deal with unpleasant or tough situations," Sasuke bit out. "You're delusional if you think I'm still the kid that looked up to you."

"No," Itachi denied. Sasuke sensed his words had upset Itachi. True, Sasuke sometimes wanted to murder Itachi and make it look like an accident, but Itachi was his brother and probably the only person who loved him unconditionally. He'd figured out long time ago that his relations with his parents would never be the way he wanted it to be, and his ex-boyfriend… Well, he pushed the thought aside. This wasn't the time.

"Then stop acting like I am."

Itachi gave him a look. "You're attending it, whether you want it or not. End of the discussion."

He watched Itachi stand up and walk to the door.

"Are you free after work?"

Taking the seat Itachi had emptied, Sasuke hummed. There was nothing waiting for him at home. "I guess."

"How about dinner? I won't force you. I'm only offering."

Despite himself, he found himself agreeing. Sitting home alone wasn't his ideal way to spend the evening, after all. "Fine. You're buying."

"It's settled then," Itachi smiled softly before wearing his stoic expression again as he left Sasuke's office. "Good luck with those."

. . .

It was past 6 pm when Sasuke said goodbye to Karin. In the end, she'd forgotten to bring Sasuke the copies, so Sasuke had taken them himself. Karin hadn't used the opportunity to pay Suigetsu a visit, so she really must have been tired. Sasuke let her go without scolding. As he returned from the designated smoking area, he noticed Neji sitting in the office still, pushing his brown hair out of the way to see the computer screen better.

Itachi joined them shortly, pulling a chair and sitting down next to Neji. "Any new discoveries?"

"No," Neji groaned. "I already told you this wouldn't be easy. Hyuugas are, unfortunately for us, very clever people."

"Why are you even working here?" Sasuke said as he stalked over to them.

"To spite my uncle, of course," Neji murmured. "He was sure I couldn't be the heir to his empire."

"You're doing a good job here. But why do we trust you? What if you backstab us once your uncles see the potential in you?"

He hadn't even realized his tone had gone harsh until Itachi and Neji both looked at him. Itachi was the one who spoke. "Sasuke. You were very calm today. We're still in the office, so how about maintaining the professional attitude and not giving people hard time because of the hardships in your personal life?"

Eyes squinted, Sasuke sneered. He knew better than making a remark. But Itachi's comment had reminded him of the emptiness inside once more, so he found comfort in another cigarette.

As he smoked, staring at the already darkened sky, last night's memory haunted him once more. How Naruto had sat next to him, how he had tried to warm up his hand. The kiss had been warm and comforting, despite everything going on between them.

_I hate you._

Hate didn't form overnight. He didn't really hate Sasuke, or, he was lying when he said  _I love you_ countless of times. Either way, Naruto was a liar. Sasuke knew he had gone overboard with his confrontations, but Naruto saying that…

The broken look on his face. The pain in his eyes.

Then his words about Sasuke cheating on him… Sasuke still couldn't believe Naruto even dared to think that, let alone saying it out loud. Then he remembered how he had run away from their relationship and left Sasuke to his own devices without a goodbye.

He laughed bitterly and stepped on the cigarette butt on the ground. He was left with nothing now. All the things he'd endured for Naruto's sake were for nothing in reality. Sasuke had given his heart to Naruto and Naruto had crashed it.

"We need to have a talk about your smoking habits," Itachi called out to him from behind. "I told Neji to go home."

"Hn," Sasuke noncommittally hummed.

"We should probably leave too," Itachi said. "I'm getting hungry."

"As you wish," Sasuke pivoted on his heel to face Itachi.

His brother was studying Sasuke's face. They looked at each other for a moment. Itachi was the one who broke the gaze, shaking his head and glancing at the horizon before turning around and heading to his office to get his stuff.

. . .

Halfway to Sasuke's favorite restaurant, Itachi changed his mind and decided to get groceries and head to his own apartment to make dinner. Sasuke normally would've opposed, but he was emotionally and physically drained, so he ended up taking a nap in the car as Itachi shopped.

Weirdly, his lethargic state didn't change after arriving at the apartment. He found out he had only one cigarette left, so he smoked it before asking Itachi if he needed help and lying down on the couch when Itachi said no.

Itachi didn't wake him up until the dinner was ready to eat. His eyelids felt unusually heavy. He guessed it was because he'd read too much today, and as they ate Itachi's homemade lasagne, an eerie silence filled the kitchen.

"How did it happen?" Itachi asked bluntly. Sasuke's fork dropped in shock, making a loud clink as it hit the plate.

"I don't feel like talking about it," Sasuke grabbed it again, shoving a piece of food into his mouth.

"You do," Itachi observed. "You need to share your pain with someone in order to heal."

"And what makes you think you're that person?"

"Sasuke," Itachi warned. "Give me a name you can tell about this and I won't open my mouth about this ever again."

Looking up, his eyes met the similar, charcoal ones. Itachi wasn't teasing or wasn't pitying him. He simply wanted to listen.

He wasn't sure if he would be entirely comfortable with sharing. After Sasuke had gotten together with Naruto, Itachi had given up on the role of being Sasuke's secret bearer. But now, after 7 years, Naruto was gone and Sasuke didn't trust anyone else to tell about his personal life.

Still, he was furious. "I confronted him to fix our relationship. He chickened out and broke up with me."

"That doesn't explain anything. Why would Naruto just leave when he was clearly in love with you?"

Sasuke gave a chuckle filled with anger and sorrow. "His last words were  _I hate you_."

Itachi didn't visibly flinch, but his eyes widened. "…Sasuke. Tell me everything in detail."

Fisting his hands, Sasuke took a deep breath. "Things weren't good for a long time. Naruto was still smiling and pretending nothing was wrong, running away every time we had a fight. It bothered the hell out of me, and I tried to make him understand that many times. He was oblivious to my attempts too."

Silently, Itachi nodded.

"I made up my mind to confront him about this, so we could finally find a solution. I was willing to take a break if needed. I just wanted things to be okay." His throat had gone dry. He sipped his water. "I told him these. He told me he was avoiding me to make things better."

"And?"

"And…" Sasuke averted his gaze. "It's kind of a blur now, but I'm fairly certain he told me that I had my eyes on someone else. That I lost interest. I punched him, he punched back, then packed up his shit and left."

"Sounds gruesome," Itachi softly commented.

"He hates me," Sasuke groused, mostly to himself. "And I hate him for making me go through this. The feeling is mutual."

He expected Itachi to say something, but his brother nodded, then stood up and started clearing the table. Sasuke felt like he was going to fall asleep, but he also felt the need to smoke.

Pushing his chair off, he started walking out of the kitchen. "I'm leaving."

"So soon?" Itachi put down the dishes and followed Sasuke to the front door. "I hoped you'd stay longer."

"I'm tired," he murmured and he put on his jacket.

"Hm," Itachi grabbed his car keys. "Your car's at the office. I'll drive you."

"Fine by me," Sasuke said as he put on his shoes.

. . .

Sasuke cursed to no one in particular as he pulled up his car next to the empty parking spot once occupied by Naruto's car. The distance between the office and their-  _his_  apartment was frustrating. But, for tonight, he needed a good night's sleep since last night had been very uncomfortable.

He pushed the button of the elevator, waiting half asleep. The doors opened.

"Sasuke," Sakura said with an uncertain tone. "Coming from work?"

"Hn," he walked into the cabin as Sakura walked out.

"You seem tired." She opened her mouth to say something else but closed it immediately. "Anyway. Good night."

"Good night," he offered a nod. The sweet smell of her perfume lingered in the air. He suppressed a yawn, quickly fishing out his keys and stepping out the second the doors opened.

He unlocked the door and opened, freezing on the spot. The boxes by the door were gone.

He toed off his shoes and hung his jacket. It meant Naruto had come here to fetch his stuff when Sasuke was gone. Had he left his key? His gaze found the key bowl, noticing the key immediately. What took him by surprise was the paper underneath.

He grabbed the metal key, clutching it in his hand as his other hand took the small paper and he started reading.

_I know this is not the best way to say goodbye, but it's the best I can do. I took my stuff as you probably already noticed, and double checked just in case. Thanks for putting them in boxes for me. It shortened my time here a lot._

Sasuke felt his mouth go dry. The handwriting was so familiar and warm, he knew it by heart, but the words carried a frigid edge to them.

_I'm not sorry for what I've done. I won't apologize. You hurt me, and it's not my fault if you got hurt in the process. You should know better than anyone that you reap what you sow. However, Sasuke, I sincerely hope you find what you're looking for._

_-Naruto_

A hysteric chuckle left his throat. Even in a note, Naruto kept hurting him, stabbing him in every way possible. Was he some sort of sadist? Sasuke had never noticed it before. The words cut like knives.

He slammed the note on the table and put the bowl on it. Just getting rid of it seemed like the best option, but Sasuke needed to keep it there for the times his whole body burned for Naruto's touch and craved the man's attention in a wild way. He had to remember why they had broken up. He had to keep away from Naruto, stop himself from pulling into his orbit once more.

Yet, after he stripped to his boxers and crawled into the bed, pulling two comforters over himself to keep warm, he couldn't help but want to see Naruto. The fucker thought saying goodbye with a note was the best he could do? Did 7 years, all the things they had gone through together mean nothing to Naruto?

Couldn't he say goodbye while facing Sasuke?

"Coward," he hissed, unconsciously hugging the pillow next to his own. Sleep was taking over his body, and as he drifted off, the only thing on his mind was how long the rebound would take.

* * *

Kushina pulled the blanket over Naruto's body. "Are you sure you don't wanna watch another movie? It's only 10 pm."

"Mom. Stop it," he pushed Kushina's hands off and adjusted the covers himself. "I'm an adult. And no. M'tired."

"Tetchy." Kushina waggled her eyebrows. "You inherited my genes."

"True that," Naruto put a grin on his face, watching Kushina's long, red hair wave as she sat down on the bed next to him. "Thanks for bein' so supportive."

"Shush! Of course I'll be supportive. I gave birth to the best son on earth."

"Now you're just bragging."

"…Maybe," she giggled, then grabbed Naruto's hand, squeezing. "I'll leave you to rest."

Naruto nodded. "G'night, Mom."

Kushina kissed Naruto's forehead and turned on the lamp on Naruto's nightstand. Naruto didn't need nightlight since he was 14, but he didn't stop her.

"Good night," she whispered before she turned off the lamp hanging from the ceiling and shut the door.

Naruto took a deep breath, holding it in before slowly letting it out, feeling the familiar smell of his old room comfort his body. The day had been hectic, both physically and emotionally. His parents had done everything they could do to keep him occupied; they had cleaned Naruto's room together, spent time in Minato's garden, cooked and watched two movies. He was grateful to have them. Most of the time, he had been grumpy and sulking, but he hadn't heard a word about it.

But he knew they couldn't do this all the time. Kushina had a hair salon to run, and Minato often met up with other retired friends from the police force rather than staying home. Even if his parents were willing to help him, he had to work too. Before anything else, he had to find a way to shake off this ugly mood. There was no way he could let this ruin his life. Relationships ended every day. He didn't see other people turning themselves into pathetic human beings and he had no intention to become one.

A moment of pondering led him into thinking that finding someone else could help. But Naruto knew himself. It wouldn't do him any good. What he had to do was move on with his life. Letting his emotions take over would never work.

Time would heal his wounds anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was shorter than others because it was the other half. With this, break-up arc is now complete. There is a one-year time skip in the next chapter, and we'll see how they are moving on with their lives, then the make-up arc will start (probably in chapter 7 or 8). I don't know when I will post the next chapter, though. Probably when I start procrastinating everything. 
> 
> Thanks for all the amazing people who are kind enough to leave a review. Authors spend hours and hours on only one chapter you read in 10 minutes, and leaving a couple of words - even if not a long review - shouldn't be that hard. Fanfiction is a gift and it should be received as one.
> 
> PS: Sorry if you thought Sasuke was going to be home! D:


	5. Band Aids on Bullet Holes

 

**_One Year Later_ **

Naruto took a long swig from his chilly water. He had gotten back from the gym and was sitting on a chair close to the kitchenette. After the separation, he’d changed his gym to one that was closer to him. Both establishments belonged to his good friend, Rock Lee, so he’d had no trouble with transferring his membership.

The pier glass in the nicely decorated hallway reflected his appearance. Without even noticing, he found himself standing up and gawking. His hair – now dyed crimson – was messy, some of the locks were wet and stuck to his sweaty forehead, and his skin was bronzed and taut. All thanks to his healthy diet and water consumption.

Slowly, with anticipation building in his body, he unzipped his gray jacket, revealing the soaked t-shirt underneath. Underneath the fabric, he could see the definition of his abs. For the last couple of months, he’d had visited the gym a lot. Mostly because he didn’t have much to do in his spare time, but he also found relief in physical activities. Sex was off the table for a while now, so working out was his best option.

His friendship with his old neighborhood friends was better than ever. Naruto had lived with his parents for a month and a half before getting his own place, and had spent most of his free time with Kiba. The man knew how to get someone through a break-up, Naruto had to give him that. He hadn’t brought Menma with him since his new apartment wasn’t pet-friendly and he missed his cat so much.

Tonight, they’d planned to hit a club. They had played pool with his work team the night before, so it was Kiba’s turn. If he was being honest, Naruto felt truly blessed to have such amazing friends. They had all been so supportive. Shikamaru hadn’t seemed surprised when Naruto had broken the news, like he was expecting the fallout, that didn’t matter anymore. Naruto was holding up just fine on his own.

His hand ghosted over the now naked skin. The t-shirt was lying on the floor, soon, his pants and boxers followed. He looked better than he’d ever had, he was aware of it. Other people often told him that, too. He missed his blond hair sometimes, but the shade of red that resembled his mother’s hair color looked pretty good on him. He looked… sexy.

Attractive.

It gave him confidence.

His fingers splayed over his toned arms, then his chest, navel and strong thighs. After months spent alone, his nerves were sensitive to slightest touches and he didn’t even need to wrap his fingers around his cock to feel it harden.

Naruto was proud of himself. He’d worked so hard to mend his life, to put the pieces back together and turn into the person he once was, maybe even a better one. Both physically and mentally, he felt strong and independent. They had worked their asses off and their small team was now known for their professional and original designs. He was not short on money, yet, he’d rented a small apartment close to his parents.

A low moan was heard as his deft fingers started to slowly pump his already rock hard length. He checked the clock on the wall, noting he had an hour or so until he had to meet up with Kiba. He had plenty of time for this. Well, he was sexually frustrated, so even 5 minutes would be enough.

Masturbating in front of the mirror wasn’t exactly a fantasy for him - and he didn’t want to deal with cleaning it up later, so he hastily made his way to the bathroom, in need of a shower either way. He closed the glass door of the pristine cabin and turned the water on. The cool water helped his burning body to cool down, but the erection he sported remained.

He leaned against the clean tiles, closed his eyes and let himself feel the water as it slowly warming water hit his sensitive cock. The feeling bordered on pain, because the shower head was so high and the water drops hit especially hard, but he didn’t care. The feeling swirling in his abdomen was starting to get unbearable, and he whimpered, starting to stroke himself faster in order to relieve the pressure.

It didn’t take him long to mutter a curse and cum against the wall. As the water washed away the evidence of his pleasure, he kneeled down, trying to catch his breath. Doing this always left him feeling uneasy. No matter what he tried, most of the times he ended up thinking of dark eyes on him as he released. Every now and then it was what pushed him over the edge, and he wasn’t sure if he loved it or hated it.

Yes, he was over Sasuke. He always told himself that, fully believing his words. But what he was doing felt equal to a putting band aid on a bullet hole. Sasuke was always somewhere in the back of his mind. His existence haunted Naruto.

Lately, he had been wondering if he needed to get involved with someone else to truly forget about his ex. It was more than obvious Sasuke had no intention to apologize and try to fix whatever the remains of a relationship they had. They hadn’t communicated once since Naruto had ended their relationship. The finish line had been long crossed long ago.

He pushed the thoughts aside and lathered his hair twice, then washed himself with body wash and stepped out of the shower. Without looking twice at the water pooled on the floor, he wrapped a towel around his waist and left the bathroom.

In Sasuke’s absence, Naruto had had a lot of time to think about their relationship and their last fight. The conclusion was always that it was Sasuke’s fault, but time apart had opened Naruto’s eyes about a couple of things, starting from some of Sasuke’s habits that had started to bother the hell out of Naruto toward the end. Sasuke drying Naruto’s hair, forcing him to wear something and scolding him when he didn’t - like Naruto was a fucking child.

At least that was what Naruto used to think. His vision was now clear about Sasuke’s own way of caring.

Also, he had slowly realized Sasuke indeed was correct about saying Naruto would get a cold. After he had moved out of his parents’ apartment, he had gotten sick more than ever. He still had boxes of throat coats and herbal teas in his kitchen.

Then, there were his efforts to stop Naruto from eating too much sugar. He had to admit, he’d gained too many pounds while staying with his parents. Kushina’s words were all in vain because Naruto was a ‘grown-up’ now and didn’t have to listen to his mother, but in hindsight, it didn’t take a genius to see both his ex-boyfriend and mother were just trying to help.

So, he had thrown away all his cereals (giving up on Fruit Loops had been tough) and had started going to the gym again. He was more than happy with his decisions now.

Yet, these were tiny details. Naruto hadn’t called it off because of some stupid nagging problem. And one of the things he missed the most about Sasuke was his bastard-like remarks filled with affection. Even during romantic moments, Sasuke had always been fully honest and blunt. It always made Naruto laugh, and he was grateful for not hearing sugar-coated words. In the end, Sasuke’s bluntness maybe hadn’t always been useful, but Naruto liked his personality; it complemented his own.

All things aside, he knew their masquerade of a relationship couldn’t have lasted any longer. He knew it was time to move on. Sometimes, even if just for a brief second, he wondered if he had endured Sasuke’s taunts and stayed… Would things be any different?

_ Probably not.  _ There had been a risk of shattering himself completely. Even now, it scared him to death. He remembered how Sasuke had started treating him. Now that he knew how it felt, he didn’t want to go through a breakup once more, because he was sure his life was hell before he finally got over Sasuke.

Quickly putting on a black pair of tight jeans that hugged his muscular thighs and a simple, navy blue shirt, he started to blow dry his hair.

* * *

 

Sasuke had taken off his glasses and was resting his eyes after a meeting. His sleeping habits had changed immensely after Naruto had left. He could be categorized as an insomniac now, which practically meant he had lots of free time and nothing to do. So, he had focused on work. It was a cycle, really. The more he worked, the less he slept. The less he slept, the more he worked. He’d picked up glasses, too. Itachi kept expressing that he was both happy and worried about him.

Something he never thought would happen had happened, he had gotten closer with Itachi. And the man had learned a lot about Sasuke in return. They’d begun to get along more like brothers rather than incompatible co-workers.

He heard footsteps come closer, very distinct thanks to the high heels. Whoever she was, she didn’t bother to knock the door as she kicked her way in.

Sasuke didn’t hold back as he growled, not surprised at who the person was. “ Karin. What have I told you about knocking?”

“Sorry, sorry,” Karin waved her hand. It was more than obvious she didn’t mean it. “I thought it would be okay. You don’t have a boyfriend to get caught making out with in the office anymore, so—”

Sasuke’s eyes snapped open. “Get the fuck out of here.”

His glare must have been enough for Karin to understand she had crossed the line since she quickly left a paper on the desk and fled without looking back. The door didn’t close, though, and just as Sasuke was about to yell, Itachi entered the room.

“Brought you water,” he threw a bottle to Sasuke. Sasuke caught it and placed it on the table.

“I didn’t ask for water,” Sasuke leaned back, starting to massage his temples slightly.

“Are you sure you don’t want help?”

“I told you, I wasn’t addicted to nicotine,” Sasuke breathed out.

“And that’s why you started smoking two packs a day.” Itachi dryly said, leaning against the edge of the desk.

Sasuke scoffed. “That’s when I quit.”

“I gotta admit, you have some self-control, but not as much as you think. You need to drink that water. It’ll help with your headache.”

Sasuke obeyed. Normally, he wouldn’t have, just to spite Itachi, but his brother had figured out ordering around didn’t work on Sasuke a couple of months ago (Sasuke thought it was pretty late for a genius) and now Sasuke didn’t have a reason to disobey, especially since Itachi had a point.

He set the bottle on the desk again, put his glasses back on, and grabbed the paper Karin had left. For about a year, he had attended to meetings with other companies along with Itachi. It was nice to finally be out of his older brother’s shadow. Well, that was what he felt like anyway. Certain other people always seemed to think Itachi was better for some reason – including his own father.

Neji hadn’t figured out a weakness to outdo Hyuuga Corps, and although the Uchiha brothers were both extremely sharp, there was no way they could know it better than someone from the family – someone who had grown up knowing Hyuuga Hiashi, so they had just let it slip and focused on working hard.

Sasuke was doing fine other than his sleeping problems. He still lived in the same apartment, simply because he’d never had free time to move out. He didn’t care too much since he spent most of his time at the office or at Itachi’s now.

Over time, his rage toward Naruto had whittled down. Getting over him had been a lot tougher than he’d thought it would be, the extra stress had caused him to become almost addicted to cigarettes (something he would never admit to Itachi) and more often than not, he would wake up in the night, shaking and sweating. A few times, after having a bad dream about Naruto, his hand had flown to the side to feel his boyfriend’s calming presence before he remembered they weren’t together anymore and he retreated the hand.

No, he didn’t hate Naruto. Hate was such a strong word – God, he still ached from hearing it come out of Naruto’s mouth. But he wasn’t going to lie to himself. Just because Naruto hated Sasuke, it didn’t mean Sasuke could hate him back and just forget about how happy Naruto used to make him. Sasuke had always been logical, and the logical thing to do right now seemed to admit this and move on. He missed Naruto’s goofiness; he missed taking care of him, telling him to eat properly. He missed watching Naruto animatedly tell him about his day. He missed the kisses they shared, hell, he even found himself missing their fights. But there was one thing that Sasuke could never forget nor forgive.

Naruto had walked out on him.

It wasn’t like Naruto was a fair-weather friend. Sasuke had witnessed Naruto risking things for his friends so many times. Even in their relationship, Naruto had never held back from sacrificing, but none of these mattered now. Sasuke couldn’t wrap his head around why Naruto had left without fighting for him. For  _ them _ . Without finding a middle ground and fixing things.

Maybe he had just gotten tired of Sasuke.

He took another sip from his water, at the feeling of his mouth go dry. Naruto had always been very fond of Sasuke, even when they were fighting in high school and he claimed he didn’t like Sasuke at all. Excluding the last year of their relationship, it was Naruto who would jump Sasuke in the middle of a fight and initiate the make-up sex. He couldn’t stand seeing Sasuke upset or angry and would try anything to turn his boyfriend into his usual self. A single confrontation shouldn’t have been enough for him to give up on their relationship. Their love for each other should’ve been a lot deeper than that.

“You’re staring at it for 10 minutes. I doubt it’s that interesting.”

He had completely forgotten about Itachi. Inhaling sharply, he put the paper down and tried to relax his furrowed brows. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Hm. Why is that?”

Sasuke’s eyes roamed over the paper once more. He knew the guy Itachi was planning to be partners with. He was an old friend of Naruto, but Sasuke didn’t trust him. “I’ve made a research. The guy has no family background. He started the business with no funds. Who knows where he got the money from.”

“Neji made sure the Yakuza isn’t involved. His cousin is a friend of the guy.”

“This isn’t about Yakuza,” Sasuke firmly said. “What if it’s just pure luck that he was successful this far? Father will kill us both if you invest in a pet food company and lose money. I’ll be honest. I don’t see any potential here.”

“You’re underestimating him, Sasuke. I sent you the sales graphics last week. His small company has grown bigger in 3 years than other pet food companies have in more than 10 years.”

Sasuke made a noise that oozed contempt. “I can’t believe people trust this shit enough to feed it to their beloved pets.”

“That’s their problem, not ours,” Itachi stalked to the window, eyeing the other buildings in the area with his hands shoved in his pockets. “I asked him to sell 40%.”

Sasuke snorted. “Tsk. 10.”

Itachi’s eyes narrowed. “I suggest you review the graphics. You’ll regret buying only 10% when the brand goes worldwide famous.”

“Honestly, Itachi, I don’t think people in Europe or America will buy their pets something called,” he paused to check the name again. “Inuakashi. Seriously, inu? ”

“It’s the first three letters of his name. Not inu as in dog.”

“How creative,” he rolled his eyes dramatically. “Let me guess. The other three is his dog’s name and the last three is his best friend’s.”

“Good guess,” Itachi gave a chuckle. “Co-worker. I don’t know if they’re best friends or not.”

“You have got to be kidding me.” He let the office chair roll back and crash against the wall as he stood up and grabbed his coat, frustrated. “I’m out of here.”

Itachi followed him and patted his shoulder. “Try not to pull a muscle.”

Sasuke didn’t feel like retorting, so he just told Karin to not let Itachi into his office. She didn't dare to object although knowing she couldn’t stop the older Uchiha if she tried.

It wasn’t degrading or anything that Itachi could easily guess Sasuke was going to the gym. It was no secret Sasuke appreciated having a beautifully toned body, and exercise was a good way to relieve some stress. There wasn’t a boyfriend waiting for him at home to give him an amazing sensual massage to relax his tense muscles anymore. He didn’t need to be reminded of it by a backache, so gym it was.

* * *

 

Naruto was still snickering as he made his way to the bar section of the club, next to his friends. Dancing had tired him out and he was thirsty for a drink. He wiped the perspiration from his forehead with the back of his hand and squeezed into the seat between Kiba and Hinata.

“You fucker,” Kiba punched his upper arm. “What was that last move? I swear you turned at least 4 straight men on the dance floor.”

“Only 4?” Naruto laughed as he motioned the bartender to bring him whatever the others were having. They all seemed at most buzzed despite drinking for over an hour, so he figured the beverage wasn’t enough to get him drunk. It wouldn’t be nice to get smashed now, especially since he wanted to hit the dance floor once more when he’d rested a bit, and also, he had to work tomorrow.

“I bet on 10,” Shino chimed in, leaning over and resting his arms on the glass table. He still wasn’t Naruto’s favorite person, but he had become a lot more tolerable the more Naruto got to know him. Also, alcohol certainly helped.

“What do you think, Hinata?” Naruto grinned at the girl.

The ends of her thin, blood-red lips curved up. She watched the bartender put Naruto’s icy drink down and finally answered. “20.”

“Whoa!” Kiba cheered. “Dude, you’re so going to hell.”

“For lookin’ good? I don’t think so,” he took a tentative sip. It tasted sweet.

Shino hummed and pointed at the dance floor with his thumb. “No. For giving them hope and coming here without dancing with anyone.”

Naruto turned on his seat. A bunch of people, both male and female, were ogling him. They averted their gazes when Naruto looked their way. “I’m not giving them hope,” he murmured. He kind of hoped for the loud music to suppress his voice, but each of his friends heard him.

“They think you are, even if it’s not on purpose,” Hinata explained softly, her pale fingers tapping on the table with a steady rhythm. “Now they expect you to take one of them home.”

“What?” Naruto’s drink spilled out of his mouth, staining his shirt. He quickly wiped his mouth with a bunch of napkins and took off the shirt he wore over a black wife beater. “Why?”

Kiba rolled his eyes. “Isn’t it time you... y’know, got laid.”

Hinata, apparently not interested in the topic anymore, turned to Shino, who was on her right side. Naruto finished the remains of his drink. “Nope.”

“Your sexual frustration is nearly palpable. But you don’t even look at them. I don’t know what’s wrong with you,” Kiba hollered. Nobody cared enough to glare at his rudeness.

“Me neither,” Naruto shrugged. “I don’t feel like taking somebody home.”

“Is it about Sasuke?”

Naruto’s brow twitched. “No, it’s not about Sasuke. He’s history now, remember?”

“Then what?” Kiba asked, then pulled his phone out of his pocket and quickly typed something. Naruto didn’t need to ask to know it was business related. He was honestly surprised that his best friend had his own brand now, but Kiba wasn’t as dumb as he looked. Naruto was the first person to know it.

“I’ve… never been attracted to someone other than him,” he fidgeted, uncomfortable with the topic, but he also knew this had to be spoken sooner or later. “It feels weird to imagine me with another person.”

“So you’re not gonna have sex for the rest of your life?”

“No, it’s not like that,” Naruto sighed. “I need more time.”

Kiba scratched his cheek, ready to protest, but ended up sighing and nodding. “Fine. Have it your way.”

“Thanks for always bein’ so supportive,” Naruto gave him a light smile.

“Stop. You can’t convert me,” Kiba chuckled. “Anyway. There’s something I gotta tell you.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“I got an offer from a huge corporation. They want to buy the 40% of my business. I’ll have business partners if I accept.”

“Holy shit!” Naruto gave Kiba a bear hug. “That’s awesome man!”

Kiba returned the hug with equal enthusiasm. “Uh. There’s something else.”

“What, they found you a girlfriend too?”

Kiba kicked him on the shin. “No, asshole. It’s… Umm.” He pushed his chair back to get away from Naruto as if he were afraid of the reaction he was going to get. “The person who offered me this deal is Uchiha Itachi.”

Naruto swallowed. His mouth was already open to say accept it and I’ll cut your dick and shove it up your ass, but the rational part of his brain that was unaffected by alcohol or emotions prevented him from doing so. He ended up licking his lips and asking for another drink. “What are you gonna say?”

“I don’t know, man,” Kiba slammed his forehead onto the table. “It’s a huge opportunity. But you’re my friend and that’s... more important. I’m conflicted.”

Naruto muttered a silent thanks to the bartender, whose gaze stayed over his exposed shoulders longer than they should’ve, but he wasn’t in the right mind to think about it. The liquid went down his throat in an instant. “You should accept it.”

“What?” Kiba flared. “He’s your ex-boyfriend’s brother. Sasuke’s probably involved too. They run the business together.”

“So? It’s a lifetime opportunity. I can’t let my ex-relations ruin your chances,” he forced himself to smile. “Besides, I have no problem with Itachi. And it’s your business anyway. I won’t have to see Sasuke.”

Kiba muttered something that went unheard by Naruto, then raised his voice. “You’ve never talked to him after the break-up, right?”

Naruto nodded. “Why would I? He never called and we haven’t crossed paths or anything. Anyway, just accept Itachi’s offer. They’ll make you famous.” He grinned, genuinely happy for his friend and a tiny bit sorry for himself.

“…Are you sure? You won’t think I’m an ass for accepting it?”

“No, Kiba,” Naruto put his hand on Kiba’s shoulder. “You’ve helped me a lot through the past year. I can’t thank you enough. You really should accept the offer.”

Hesitantly, Kiba nodded. “Thanks, man. I owe you.”

“You sure do,” Naruto snickered. “Show me the website you’re sellin’ on. I wanna see what Itachi liked enough to want to be involved with.”

“You never cared to check it out, Naruto? What kind of friend are you?” Kiba groaned as he quickly opened the website he sold the products on his phone. “Look. These are the most popular ones.”

Naruto started chewing on his lip as he snatched the phone away from Kiba’s hand and scrolled down. He touched on a random product and after a minute of trying to find where they description boxes were, he started reading the ingredients.

It was a product to counter hair loss due to dry food. He guessed this one was his father bought for Menma because his hair loss had decreased dramatically since they’d changed his diet.

Kiba made a sound of impatience. “So? What do you think?”

“The food looks good but the website is bullshit,” Naruto commented in full honesty. “You need to get it to be user-friendly.”

“Man, I don’t have the skills to create a better one.” He tapped his fingers on the table and watched people dance for a while. “You wanna do it?”

“Huh?” Naruto tore his gaze from a girl he’d danced a while ago. “Me?”

“Yep. It’s your job, isn’t it? Itachi was probably going to get it done anyway. I’d rather have you do it than some pretentious bastard.”

Naruto propped his elbow on his knee and placed his chin in his palm. “I don’t know. We’re kinda busy lately. My team is pretty busy ever since we made that animated TV commercial.”

“I’m your friend!” Kiba fake-cried. “Please! I’ll give Menma free food for the rest of his life.”

“Knowing you, I wouldn’t agree to that. You could poison Menma just to save some money.”

Kiba sat up straight. “Dude!”

“I’m kiddin’. We’ll do it,” Naruto beamed, then patted Kiba’s thigh before adjusting his clothing and starting to walk toward the dance floor. The idea of seeing Sasuke had made his stomach feel weird. Knowing it was very unlikely didn’t really help. Once the thought was planted in his mind, it was impossible to get rid of it. He wasn’t sure - if he did - seeing the man would make him feel better about this. If he really was over him, maybe it wouldn’t affect Naruto at all.

One thing was sure, though. It was definitely time to move on.

* * *

 

Sasuke was swift at putting his clothes on. He hadn’t realized he had spent too much time at the gym. It was almost 6 pm, when employees left the office. He drove fast, still managing to avoid a speeding ticket, and parked by the curb without bothering to get into the empty parking lot.

The sound of silence greeted him. It was calm in the office, and although he appreciated hard work, he liked being able to go through his documents without getting bothered by others’ chatter. As he started unlocking the door to his private office, he spotted Karin’s purse on her desk.

She usually didn’t stay very long. Sasuke checked the time, it was almost 6:30. In confusion, he looked around, then he heard a loud thud followed by yelling in the printing room. Without noticing, he started stalking towards the room.

“You son of a bitch!” Karin’s shrieking was heard. “I told you to check the reservations!”

“Shut up, woman,” Suigetsu grumbled. Sasuke winced. He hadn’t spoken with the guy more than he could count on two hands, but his affair with Karin was well-known around the office.

“You can’t tell me to shut up!”

“I can do as I wish,” Suigetsu darkly chuckled.

“Gah! Shit , I hate you so much that—“

Karin’s complaint stopped mid-sentence. Sasuke’s brows furrowed as Karin’s last words reminded him of very unpleasant memories. Those three cursed words seemed to always bring silence afterward.

He took a step to see what the two were doing right now. The sight made him freeze on spot; Suigetsu had Karin trapped against the wall and they were sucking each other’s faces off like they weren’t the ones trying to kill the other a minute ago.

Quickly walking back to his office, he sat down and closed his hands on his face. Working out for longer than usual might be the reason why he felt sick, and he hadn’t eaten much at lunch. Still, somewhere in the back of his head, he knew exactly why.

He sharply exhaled. There was no room to be pathetic, not when his life was finally starting to get back on track.

He’d gotten to find out more about the Hyuuga working for his brother. They were getting along pretty well, sometimes even going out. Sasuke wasn’t known to be a social person, he’d always been the type to do fine just with one or two friends. Well, someone had to fill in the spot Naruto had abandoned.

Hearing footsteps approaching, he wore an indifferent face and powered on the desktop computer before him to look busy. Besides, he really did need to use the computer.

“Sasuke?” Karin peeked inside. “Oh. You’re back. I thought you were Itachi-san.”

Sasuke didn’t comment on why Karin didn’t add ‘-san’ when talking to him, simply because his words seemed to have no effect on Karin and he had more important things to worry about. From the corner of his eye, he could see the way they were holding hands. Suigetsu was impatient to head out of the office. Sasuke was the one who’d told Karin she could do anything she wanted out of work hours, and he had no intention to eat his own words, so, he bit his tongue.

“Anyway, have a good evening.”

Sasuke made a low sound of acknowledgment as the couple left. If Itachi was determined to make a big investment, Sasuke would try seeing his side of things. They needed Sasuke’s signature anyway, but Itachi’s ways of convincing were way ahead of Sasuke’s. He trusted Itachi, but he wanted to make sure they weren’t wasting their money.

Inuakashi’s website was really easy to find. He clicked on it, humming to himself as he scrolled down. The website was a total trash. But Sasuke, as a successful businessman, wasn’t one to prejudge. He read everything he laid eyes on, studied the ingredients, customer comments.

When he heard a high-pitched sound, he jumped slightly. He’d thought there wasn’t anyone else in the office. Maybe it was Itachi or Neji since he knew they both worked late hours, but neither man would make a sound like that.

Then, it was heard again. This time accompanied by light footsteps. Sasuke slowly stood up, looking around in confusion. It wasn’t until a third time he looked down and realized a cat was walking around his office.

“What the…?” He mumbled. The cat had a puffy, sleek fur in the colors of beige and brown. It wasn’t necessarily lean. Sasuke could tell under that puffiness, it had muscles.

To not scare it, he leisurely walked and picked it up, petting it as he sat down on one of the chairs in front of his desk. A rare, small smile tugged on his lips.

“Who let you in here?” He asked as he scratched the cat’s chin. It seemed used to such treatment. To show it liked the affection granted to him, it raised its head and purred.

Then, footsteps were heard again. This time, it was Itachi who peeked in. “I see you like your new friend,” he spoke. Sasuke simply chuckled despite the questions forming in his head, his gaze still on the cat. “He’s very calm.”

“It’s a he, then?” Sasuke asked to confirm. Itachi approached to them and sat across Sasuke.

“I needed a test subject for the cat food. You needed a new flatmate.”

Sasuke didn’t deny. “And you found him?”

“Makes perfect sense.”

“Hn,” Sasuke let the cat nuzzle his stomach through his cotton dress shirt. It was strange to think so, but he’d missed having a cat around. They didn’t nag him, provided warmth and something fuzzy to touch. What more could he possibly want?

“I’ve already bought two packages of food and all the other necessary paraphernalia. I’m sure you know how to take care of a cat, so I’ll leave you be.”

As Itachi left the room, Sasuke didn’t look at him. He was too busy getting to know his new friend, and relishing the joyous feeling blooming within him for no apparent reason.

* * *

 

Naruto stumbled as he walked into his apartment. His whole body felt like it was covered with a thin layer of dried sweat. He could definitely use another shower.

Since he was too tired to thoroughly wash, he just shampooed his hair and rubbed himself with his soapy hands. He toweled off, found some clean boxers to wear and got in bed after he downed a glass of water.

The sheets were cold against his burning skin. He hadn’t consumed much alcohol and was still considerably sober, but the burning emotions in his heart were ripping him apart. He felt lonely without Sasuke or someone else beside him. Hookups wouldn’t work, there was no point in showing effort if it was stated to not last from the beginning. He needed someone who was going to be there. Even if not emotionally invested, their physical existence would comfort Naruto.

It wasn’t a question anymore. The next time he went to the club, he would give a chance to one of his admirers.


	6. No Maps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Busu means "ugly woman" in Japanese. :)

Naruto woke up thirty minutes before the alarm went off. Strangely, he was well-rested and ready to take on the day’s adventure, which was a feeling he hadn’t felt in long months. He had a hunch that his day was going to be pretty great.

Putting on his favorite dark blue gym clothes, he found his wristband and placed his iPod in it, carefully wrapping the black fabric around his wrist. Running to the gym and working out for an hour or so sounded amazing.

After learning Naruto was attending to the gym here, Sakura had told him she would occasionally come too so they could catch up on each other’s lives while they ran on the treadmill. Lee was glad to hear that since he was happy as long as Sakura was happy.

He opened the fridge door and looked for a bottle of water, sighing in disappointment when he found he’d already drunk all of them. Lately, he didn’t have much time for grocery shopping, but he figured he would do it sometime this week. If things went according to the plan Shikamaru had made, they were supposed to complete the new website for a phone carrier company by the weekend. Most of their clients demanded website designs, and although Naruto and his team were capable of anything, they had naturally specialized in web design over the past 3 years.

It was overcast when he started running in tempo. The city air wasn’t as clear as his previous neighborhood, but living in the middle of Tokyo had its positives too. He was thankful he had enough income to rent an apartment here. Although it was small, it was still more than enough.

About 20 minutes later, he was on the treadmill. They had made small talk with Lee, who happened to have come here for his daily exercise. Naruto hadn’t asked if he had come with his car or had simply run all the way from his apartment. Lee was crazy like that.

“Good morning!” He heard Sakura’s cheerful voice despite the earphones. He pulled one out and beamed at the pink haired girl. His unasked question was answered with Sakura’s appearance: the woman would never accept to run here all the way from home, so they had driven here.

“Morning, Sakura!”

“You’re in a good mood today,” Sakura commented as she pushed the buttons of the machine next to Naruto’s. Her white tank top showed her slim waist, and the pink tights matching the color of her hair hugged her toned legs. Sakura really was a beautiful woman.

“Yeah,” he wiped his forehead with the small, orange towel around his neck, still running as he did. “I feel amazing.”

“That’s good to hear,” she gave him a genuine smile before starting to walk with a slow tempo. “You had breakfast yet? Lee and I are going to eat after working out. You should come! I missed chatting with you.”

“If you’re buying, sure,” he breathed out. “I didn’t bring my wallet.”

“Naruto. You’re not supposed to go out without your ID.”

Naruto ignored her ‘stickler-for-the-rules’ mood. “I need to be at the office in two hours, but that gives us plenty of time to talk. So, what made you come here? The other branch is much closer.”

“Ah. You know, Lee wants to make sure everything’s under control,” she chuckled. “I told him I didn’t feel like working out today, but he ended up giving me a speech about the benefits of sports. Long story short, he pretty much dragged me here. But it’s fine. I wanted to see you anyway.”

“I swear that guy’s getting off on people working out,” Naruto joked. Sakura slapped his arm and pushed the button on her control panel, speeding the machine up.

“He’s very athletic. What can I say?” She raked a hand through her hair. “How’s Menma?”

“Oh. He’s not staying with me anymore,” Naruto gave a sigh. “My new place isn’t pet-friendly. My mom takes care of him.”

“I thought I would never say this after I saw him humping my couch, but I miss the guy. You should grab him and visit us sometime.”

Naruto averted eye contact as he stopped the treadmill with a beep. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. But thanks for inviting.”

“Naruto. It’s been over a year. I don’t know what damage he has done, but you can’t avoid Sasuke forever.”

“I know,” he groaned. “I’m not avoiding him. I’m… busy.”

Sakura shook her head, making her hair fly up. “Fine. But you’re visiting me as soon as you’re free. I’m not having Lee drag my ass here every two weeks.”

Giving out a low laugh, Naruto dried his face. “Got it. I’m heading to the weight area. Uh, do you know where I can get some water? I didn’t bring a bottle with me today.”

“There’s a vending machine next to the manager’s office,” Sakura explained.

“Thanks. See you later,” he grinned and picked up his jacket before leaving.

. . .

After showering, the three of them headed to the café right across the gym. The building was fairly new and modern looking. Naruto had grabbed breakfast here a couple of times, but had never stayed long. As they waited for their food to arrive at their table, Naruto eyed the interior with curious eyes.

“I haven’t had the chance to say it before. Your hair looks great, Naruto-kun!” Lee cheered.

“Thanks, bushy brow,” Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed by how enthusiastic Lee was while saying it.

Sakura put a hand on Lee’s arm. “I told him red hair is difficult to take care of. But it does look great.”

“My mom runs a hair salon, Sakura. I have no trouble with getting it done. And you’re one to talk! You’re rockin’ that pink for years.”

“I dye it myself. You’re torturing your mom. But nevermind that.” She leaned over the table to examine the hair more closely, then ran a hand through it, shrieking at the texture of it. “It’s so soft! Give me her address!”

“I’ll take you there,” Naruto chuckled and fixed the lock Sakura had just touched. “So, Lee. What’s up with you?”

“Same old, Naruto-kun,” he put an arm around Sakura. Naruto simply smiled at the affectionate gesture. “I’ve been really busy with giving karate lessons. I couldn’t spend much time with my dear Sakura this month.”

Sakura giggled and brushed a kiss on Lee’s cheek. “It’s okay.”

The waiter arrived with their plates. Naruto didn’t feel really hungry after all the water he’d consumed, so he’d ordered a bacon and egg sandwich. Sakura and Lee, on the other hand, had a stack of pancakes. Naruto would expect a really athletic person like Lee to eat protein and avoid carbs and sugar, but it wasn’t all about eating healthy, apparently.

The coffee was courtesy of the café, and as much as Naruto wanted to, he didn’t order tea. He wasn’t a fan of coffee anymore, but he could at least tolerate it after a long time. He put lots of sugar in it before even tasting, ignoring the glance of the waiter.

They chatted for a while, and Naruto excused himself after finishing up. He had to go back home and get ready for work. He was already running late, and honestly, he didn’t want Ino to whoop his ass for it. Being the captain, the others didn’t like to start without him.

Sakura forcefully handed him some cash to buy a subway ticket – saying he shouldn’t run home and smell like a monkey, and walking would take too much time. He yelled her that he would pay it back sometime as he left the café. The subway station was on his left. His steps were fast as he walked. He quickly bought a ticket and found himself a seat right after the doors opened. His stop was only 5 minutes away so he didn’t bother with taking out his earphones as he leaned his head against the window.

Lee and Sakura were really sweet people. Naruto felt blessed to have befriended the pink haired girl when they had first moved in with Sasuke. The couple suited each other so well, complemented each other in a way Naruto used to think Sasuke and himself did. But well their relationship had blown in their faces. Looking on the bright side though, that apartment had earned him two new friends.

Naruto took a shuddering breath as the shuttle stopped and more passengers walked in. Never in his life, had he felt this… incomplete. Even when he thought he was happy, there was something missing in his life. Something important. He often thought about it; he had an amazing job that he liked and paid well. He had Menma – even though he didn’t live with Naruto anymore, Naruto could visit anytime he wanted. Amazing parents, supportive friends. Yet, something was still missing.

Maybe the emotional toll breaking up with Sasuke had taken on Naruto had left him scarred. Many times, especially during the cold and lonely nights, he wondered if Sasuke thought about him at all. He’d never called, never tried to contact. Naruto couldn’t determine if it was because Sasuke was too proud to be the one to call first, even if just to ask how he was holding up, or if he simply didn’t care anymore.

Unlike many, Naruto knew Sasuke wasn’t an emotionless machine. Their last fight played over and over in his head whenever he thought of Sasuke, still making him feel like shit after all this time. Sasuke… hadn’t confronted him because he didn’t love him anymore. That was crystal clear in his head now.

The knowledge sometimes made Naruto regret his decision to leave, but it was easy to change his mind whenever he remembered how much pain it had started to cause him. Naruto simply couldn’t endure living like that. He didn’t hate Sasuke, not really. What he really hated was how Sasuke made him feel with his razor sharp words and actions – making Naruto feel like he didn’t matter at all. It was all in the past now, though.

Perhaps all he needed now was closure.

His station was announced on the speakers and he got up, walking out of the open doors. His body was still sore from the workout, but he felt like… dancing. Drinking. Hitting the dance floor and being underneath the spotlights as hot men and women watched the sway of his muscular body. His crimson locks would stick to his sweaty forehead and he would hold the first person to approach him close. He would dance and drink until he couldn’t anymore.

It almost made him jump when he became aware of the fact that he was already in front of his building. After going up and unlocking his front door, he walked to the bedroom with hasty steps and found some clothes to wear. Having his own business was really nice, he didn’t have to wear suits and shiny shoes. Jeans and t-shirts worked just fine. He believed graphic designers who worked for big companies lost some of their creativity by the endless list of rules.

He styled his hair with some gel. It didn’t make his hair stick up the way he wanted it to be. His favorite hair product was discontinued and his last remaining bottle had been spilled inside of a box Sasuke had ‘packed’ for him. Naruto could understand the frustration, but Sasuke had to be out of his mind to stain Naruto’s favorite jeans with his favorite hair product. The guy was lucky they didn’t see each other anymore or Naruto would have a difficult time keeping himself from chopping his balls off.

As he was left the building, his phone went off. He was tempted to ignore it, but when he saw it was his mother, he answered. “Hey, Mom. What’s up?”

“Hi. Sorry for calling you now, I know you’re working—Ah, give me a sec.”

Naruto unlocked the car and got in, raising a brow at Kushina’s tone. He put it on speaker as he started to drive.

“Sorry again.” She gave a nervous laugh. “Um. I was wondering if you could maybe visit us today?”

“Is something wrong?” Naruto asked.

“No. I mean, yes. Kind of.”

“Mom. What’s wrong? Is it Dad?”

Kushina paused for a moment. “No. It’s Menma. He’s not eating much and giving us scratches when we force him. How do you take care of this cat? He’s a total pain in the ass. Even you were easier to raise.”

“Gee, thanks,” he sarcastically said, but couldn’t help a chuckle from leaving his mouth. “Okay. I’ll try to pay a visit after work. I’m not sure if I can make it, though,” he checked the time, his brows furrowing when he realized he was already fifteen minutes late. “Anyway. Don’t force him to eat. He’s probably just missin’ me.”

“I hope so—goddammit cat, stop clawing my skirt!”

Naruto smiled at that. He knew how crappy Menma’s behavior could get. “I gotta hang up. You can try feeding him pepperoni. He loves it.”

“Hah. Okay. Don’t stress yourself too much. Love you.”

“Love you too, Mom,” he said, watching the screen go black as he waited for the traffic light to turn green. The second it did, his ringtone was heard again. He checked the ID, considering not answering for a brief moment, but he loved his dick too much to dare to do so.

“UZUMAKI! Where the hell are you?”

“Stuck in traffic,” he explained, trying to sound as casual as possible as he looked out the window. Well, Ino didn’t need to know that he was lying. “You guys go ahead and start.”

“I told you countless times not to be late! We’re all here – even Shikamaru! The deadline is 2 days from now and we have a shit-ton of work to do!”

“Calm down, Ino—“

“I can’t calm down. Get your ass here in ten minutes or I won’t be responsible for my actions.”

She hung up on Naruto, leaving him dumbfounded. Naruto loved Ino and appreciated how much she cared about work, but sometimes she was pure annoying with how strict she was. A bit like Sakura, he’d say. Two girls would instantly hit it off if they ever met. Naruto was sure.

His mood wasn’t as high as when he’d woken up. The wavering in his emotions was tiring. But he had lots of work to do, and he hadn’t even told the others about Kiba’s website yet.

. . .

Ino bolted toward him when he entered the office. “Naruto!”

“I know, I know. Please,” he offered an apologetic smile as he settled in his office chair after putting his briefcase on the desk. “What did I miss?”

“You’re not brushing it off this time,” Ino stomped her feet.

Sai stopped doing whatever he was doing on his computer and glared at her. “Ino. We’re already late.”

Somehow, she immediately cooled off, which was kind of ridiculous. “Tsk. You’re right.”

Naruto found it very interesting. He considered teasing, but it probably wouldn’t be very healthy for him. “Shika. Close your game. We need to hurry up and finish this by tomorrow. I got another website project.”

Shikamaru lazily closed the Solitaire window and turned the chair to face Naruto with a bored expression. “We have yet to finish this one. Troublesome.”

Ino looked confused. “You did? Did you negotiate the payment or are we going to be miserable and starving?”

“No.” He folded his arms over his chest. “It’s for a close friend of mine.”

“Let me correct myself then. Are we getting paid at all?” Ino sighed.

“Um. We haven’t really discussed the payment part,” he rubbed the back of his neck, feeling two pairs of eyes on him. Sai was staring at his computer screen. “But he’s going to be working with Uchiha Itachi. Money won’t be a problem.”

Silence fell.

Sai’s gaze roamed over Naruto. He was blunt as he spoke. “Isn’t he your ex-boyfriend’s brother?”

“Yeah,” Naruto nodded. “You got that right. But this has nothing to do with him.”

“That’s wishful thinking, even for you,” Shikamaru shook his head. “They run the company together. There’s no way he isn’t involved.”

“Maybe. Look, I don’t care if I have to face him or anything. I’m over him, and this is all business. Got it?”

Sai shrugged and returned to his work. Ino and Shikamaru shared a look.

“He sells pet food online. I checked the website and the design needs to be changed completely. Sai, I trust you with the outline. Make it user-friendly and keep it simple. Shikamaru. You work on completing the current project. I’ll give you a hand. Ino, can you call Itachi?”

“For what?” Ino questioned.

“To make sure he’s okay with us doing it. The guy’s very anal about where he spends his money.”

Ino puffed. “You’re the one who knows him. But fine, I’ll handle it.” She gave Sai a glance before letting out a sigh and returning to her desk. Naruto let out a low chuckle and motioned Sai to share his screen so he could see how much work Sai had done on his own computer before Naruto arrived here.

* * *

Sasuke put his computer to sleep and grabbed his jacket, ready to head home for his lunch break. He normally ate with Itachi or Neji, and sometimes they all ate together, but he felt like eating with someone… less noisy today. It was a long drive, but he didn’t really mind.

“Leaving so soon?” Neji gave him a brief nod as a greeting as he passed by. Sasuke peeked at Itachi, who had his office door open. He was at his desk and still working.

“Yes. I have plans for lunch.”

Anyone other than Neji would probably ask if he had a date. Neji minded his own business, and Sasuke liked that about the man. “Alright. Talk to you later.”

The corners of his lips tugged up. Neji really was someone he could get along with. Just as he was about to leave, he changed his mind, pivoted on his heel and stepped into Itachi’s office.

“I thought you were going to leave without a word,” Itachi said without looking up. Of course, he was still sharp and observant, even while he was busy. Sasuke admired that about his brother.

“Hn,” he dived his thumbs in the pockets of his jacket. “I’m heading home. Are you coming over for dinner?”

“I’m planning to.”

“Good. I’ll buy some ingredients on the way.”

“Sasuke. Before you go, I want to tell you something.” He tore his gaze from the computer screen and looked into Sasuke’s eyes. “Mother invited me over for dinner on Saturday. She wants you to come too.”

“No way,” Sasuke said through his teeth. “I’m not looking for drama.”

“She hasn’t seen you in years. You’re her son. Try being considerate for once.”

“This is me being considerate. One day she’ll have a heart attack during those fights. I’m only protecting her mental health.”

“Don’t say that,” Itachi scowled. “She misses you.”

Sasuke snorted. “Then she has to come over to my place or invite me when her husband’s not home.”

Itachi’s expressions softened. “He’s not that bad anymore. He’s… accepted you.”

“No, he didn’t. Itachi, I’m not coming. My decision is final. Tell her I said hi.” With that, he left the office, his eyebrows knitted together. Just when he was in a good mood, Itachi had ruined it.

. . .

After the thirty minute drive, he was finally home. He took off his jacket and placed it on the back of the couch as he walked around, looking for the cat.  He checked the kitchen first. The cat wasn’t there but his food container was nearly empty. Sasuke replenished it with the food Itachi had given him, then poured some chilly water into the other one.

Running a hand through his hair, he looked around for something to eat. There weren’t any leftovers in the fridge, and he didn’t have time to cook. He’d forgotten to do the grocery shopping, but he figured they could do it with Itachi later.

He opened the cupboards one by one in the hopes of finding something. The bread was stale so he couldn’t make a sandwich. Muttering a profanity, he shut the door with a loud thud and opened the one next to it. There were plates stacked up in this one. Just as he was about to close it too, his eyes caught something red in the back. Curiously, he reached for it. It was tomato flavored cup ramen. A pink post-it note was stuck to the plastic.

This is my emergency stash. Don’t eat it, bastard. Kisses. - Naruto

His lips quirked up despite the waves of nostalgia hitting him. If he hadn’t found it, it would’ve been there forever.  _ That idiot… _

He turned the package and read the expiration date. It was still edible. With a sigh, he put the kettle on the stove and turned the gas on.

He loosened his tie as he walked toward the bedroom. The view wasn’t exactly unfamiliar; the cat was curled up in a ball on the pillow that Sasuke didn’t use but kept there, making soft rumbling sounds as he slept. Sasuke quietly chuckled. He had to admit, he missed Menma even though he was a pain in the ass. Living alone wasn’t exactly his favorite thing, but it wasn’t by choice and he wasn’t going to whine about it. The new cat was a good companion.

Careful not to wrinkle his pants, he crawled onto the bed closer to the cat and propped his elbow on the mattress. His hand gently stroked the soft fur, waking him up. “Hey.”

The purring stopped, indicating the cat’s awakening. He yawned, showing his pointy teeth to Sasuke (which was strangely a sight he noticed he’d missed) and opened his eyes.

“I should give you a name,” he proceeded to speak. “Hm. Maybe you already have a name. I wonder if Itachi will take you back once it’s proven your food is good.”

It was like the cat didn’t hear Sasuke at all. He stood up, walked to the edge of the bed and jumped down, apparently heading to the kitchen.

“Wait for me, at least,” Sasuke pouted. It was fun, really. The great Uchiha Sasuke that ran one of the biggest corporations in Japan with his brother was here, talking to a cat and sulking when the cat didn’t acknowledge him.

He got up and followed the cat’s lazy steps. Obviously, it had a good memory and had learned where the food was within a day. Or maybe it was what cats did. Sasuke had no idea. As he turned off the gas and poured the boiling water into the ramen cup, the cat started to eat.

“You’re not even listening to me, are you?” He glared at the poor cat and grabbed a pair of chopsticks. It seemed like the cat wasn’t that hungry because he stopped eating the moment Sasuke sat down. To keep an eye on him, Sasuke followed him to the living room, bringing his ramen along.

He seated himself on the couch and started eating. The only good thing about cup ramen was that it didn’t need any time-consuming preparations, and this one was tomato flavored, so Sasuke didn’t mind eating it that much.

He leaned back, crossed his legs and watched the cat curiously walk around, sniffing objects and biting at them every once in a while. Some furniture had Menma’s claw scratches, and he took his time when he studied them. “You’re quiet and curious,” Sasuke stated. “What should I call you?”

The cat wiggled his butt.

“And you’re socially inept. Great,” he dramatically rolled his eyes, drinking the spicy tomato broth with relish. “Shizuka? That sounds like a girl’s name.”

After licking a paw, the cat went under the couch.

“Neko is too cliché. How about…” He looked at the ceiling for a second. “Busu? Hey, come out of there. I really will call you Busu if you don’t.”

As he left the ramen cup on the coffee table and kneeled down to see what the cat was doing, his phone went off loudly, startling him. He picked it up with unnecessary harshness. “What?”

“Where are you?”

“Home.”

He heard Itachi sigh in exasperation. “Sasuke. You need to come back.”

He frowned. “It’s lunch break.”

“I know.”

Sasuke knew it was important enough to not discuss on the phone from the way Itachi didn’t elaborate. “Alright. I’m coming,” he muttered before hanging up. His quality time with his new friend had been interrupted, but since the cat was nowhere to be seen, he figured it didn’t count as ‘quality time’ anyway.

“I need to go back to work, Busu.” He sniggered to himself for naming a good-looking cat that.

He was about to dip his head to see under the couch, but Busu moved first and walked out, wagging his tail and holding something with his teeth.

“What is that?” Sasuke asked, confused. He reached out to snatch it away and see, but Busu was faster. They held a pointless staring contest for a minute before Sasuke gave up and squinted to see the object better without getting close to it.

His lips were a thin line as he realized it looked a lot like a… “Mouse?”

But Sasuke knew there weren’t mice in the house. That wasn’t a possibility – he had a lady coming in to clean his apartment two times a week.

“Let me see,” he lowered himself to the ground. Busu was still staring at Sasuke with his wide open, green eyes.

It didn’t take too long to put two and two together. It really did look like a mouse, but it didn’t smell and still looked fluffy.

“That’s a toy,” he softly breathed out, laughing at his stupidity. “One of Menma’s toys.”

That idiot of a cat that belonged to Naruto had apparently left it there. His smile disappeared. He needed to change the cleaning lady - what was the point of keeping her if she didn’t clean under the couch? – and also, he had to suppress the blooming nostalgia within him to keep his focus on work.

“Play nicely,” he scratched Busu’s chin and stood up to leave the house.

* * *

Naruto downed the rest of his cooled down coffee from a Starbuck’s mug. “I can’t believe we’ve been working on this for over 3 fucking months.”

“It’s only normal, Naruto,” Shikamaru explained in a bored tone. “We’re almost done anyway. Other designers take at least 4.”

“Yeah, that’s the problem! We’re known for being quick and efficient, remember?”

Sai made a disgruntled noise. “Beta testing is important.”

“I know that,” Naruto rolled his eyes. “God, my butt will flatten if I sit in this chair any longer.”

“And you accepted another project without giving us a break,” Ino chimed in.

“Come on, Ino. Kiba’s website doesn’t need to be very graphically detailed. We can use a pre-made design too. Sai, you have some of those, right?”

“I’ll take half of the paycheck if you use my design.”

“Bastard,” Naruto sulked. “I’ll have you do the mobile app next time as punishment for this.”

Ino stood up, walking to Sai’s desk and putting a hand on the man’s shoulder. “I think he has every right to ask for the money. It will shorten the time immensely and we’ll get a breather.”

“It’s fine by me,” Shikamaru shrugged. “As long as you don’t tell Temari I will get paid less, of course.”

“Then it’s settled. Sai will take care of the design. We can work from home and come back here for beta-testing.”

“Uchiha said he wants it done as quick as possible,” Ino fingered her long, pale blond bangs to the side, the hand on Sai’s shoulder never moving.

“That’s what we’re doing,” Naruto said in earnest. “This is serious business. Don’t underestimate it just because I’m friends with the guy. If we don’t please Itachi, he won’t pay us. And I bet he already has plans for the business and will skin us alive if we interfere with ‘em.”

“Sounds scary,” Ino commented, wearing a horrified expression. After a moment of hesitation, she spoke. “Sai. You wanna come over today?”

Sai didn’t look away from the screen. “Why?”

Ino gave a threatening look to Naruto and Shikamaru, who were sniggering, then put her eyes on Sai again. “I think we could work better if we’re together. Besides, I might need your help.”

“Okay,” Sai confirmed simply. “I’ll come.”

Ino’s lips curled up in happiness. “Great.”

Naruto watched Shikamaru mutter something about how troublesome relationships are and then text Temari. The man really didn’t seem to enjoy the ‘bothersome’ parts, but he apparently did love his fianceé.

The sudden feeling of loneliness washed over Naruto. He bit on the inside of his cheek and shut down his computer. “Guys. Mind if I leave early today?”

“I swear to God, Uzumaki, ditching us at work—“

“No, Ino. Mom said Menma’s not eating anything. I need to check on him,” he mumbled as he stood up to retrieve his jacket and briefcase, not waiting for a yes or no. It wasn’t the only reason why he wanted to leave, but it was still true. “I’ll work from home.”

Feeling all three of his teammates’ gaze on his back, he silently walked out, letting the door shut behind him.

If someone asked why he was down, he wouldn’t be able to answer. He just felt low, maybe lonely, and that was it. Seeing Menma would help. He knew it would, but this was something different. He craved physical contact. Human contact.

He turned on the radio and drove to his parents’ house. It wasn’t rush hour yet, the traffic was better than normal, so it didn’t take too much of Naruto’s time. He did have keys to the house, but he thought it was more appropriate to ring the doorbell.

It was Minato who answered the door. “Hey, son,” he beamed at the younger man. They shared a quick hug.

“Hey,” Naruto smiled. “How’s it goin’?”

“Same old, same old. Life of a retired man.” Minato walked Naruto to the living room, where Kushina was sprawled out on the couch with her eyes closed and Menma was sitting next to her. Upon Naruto’s entrance, Menma jumped and ran to Naruto’s side, only to start clawing at Naruto’s pants.

“Ow. Menma!” He pouted, picking up the cat and cradling him nonetheless. “What’s wrong with you?”

Kushina woke up from her nap and gave Naruto a weary smile with a hint of sadness. “Sorry. He only ate a little piece of pepperoni.”

“’S fine, Mom,” Naruto assured her. Menma seemed relatively calmer now, but he was still restless. “Maybe he doesn’t like Kiba’s food anymore.”

“I don’t think that’s related to his problem,” Minato put his arm around Naruto’s shoulders. “You should take him to a vet.”

Naruto sharply nodded. It hurt to see his dear cat like this. Menma had always been a moody cat, but the way he chewed Naruto’s shirt indicated he was also in pain. “Our old one is too far. I’ll ask Kiba if he knows any good vets around.”

Trying to ignore Menma’s cries and the red scratches he left on Naruto’s hands, in contrast with his tan skin, he crossed the road and started pounding on Kiba’s door. Shino welcomed him inside, but he could sense the man was eyeing Menma through his shades.

“Hey. Is Kiba inside?”

“His usual place,” Shino gestured toward the room Kiba always sat on the floor behind the couch. Naruto hurriedly walked there. “Menma is ill.” It was a blunt observation. He didn’t know how Shino had picked it up that quickly.

“Yes - I mean, I don’t know,” Naruto answered truthfully, his voice near cracking. He really was starting to get worried this time. “Kibaaa! Put your damn laptop down. This is a crisis.”

“Ha?” Kiba rose behind the couch. “Shit. Your hands look awful.”

“Nevermind my hands,” he frowned. “Mom said Menma’s not eating for days. You think it’s about the food?”

“It’s not about the food,” Shino answered for him.

“He’s right,” Kiba nodded. “Shino. You have your equipment here?”

“Hn,” Shino hummed.

“Wait,” Naruto stopped him. “Are you a vet?”

“Of course he is,” Kiba grinned. “Why do you think I keep him here? He’s the one who helps me with determining what nutrients pets need and all. He’s a half-business partner.”

Naruto felt a bit stupid for not asking what Shino’s job was before, but he didn’t dwell on it. He was worried for Menma and had work to do. “Okay. Examine him.” He let Shino pick Menma up. The cat was still looking for hands to make bleed, but Shino was effectively evading the claws.

They disappeared from the room, and Kiba took a deep breath. “Wait. I think I have a first aid kit here.” He walked out, only to come back ten seconds later. “I’m gonna disinfect your hands.”

“Whatever,” Naruto mumbled, letting Kiba lead him to the couch and sat down. “You think it’s severe?”

“Nah,” Kiba smiled reassuringly. “He was too lively for a severe illness. It’s probably a kidney or liver problem.”

“Ah!” Naruto hissed when the cold liquid on the cotton touched his hand and caused tingling sensations to be felt on the wounds. Kiba didn’t pause, he finished cleaning and put some bandages on both hands. “By the way,” Naruto spoke. “We let Itachi know that we’re doing the website. Ino told me that he’s okay with it.”

“Ino?” Kiba arched a brow.

“My teammate. She takes care of PR stuff,” he told. “Anyway. The project we’ve been working on is due in 2 days. We’ve been working on it for months. But yours will take much less time, I’d say… a month. Maybe even three weeks.”

“Cool.”

“That’s all?” Naruto rubbed his wrists, grimacing at the way Kiba threw the first aid kit somewhere behind the couch.

“I mean, I trust you with it. No biggie,” Kiba half-heartedly beamed at him. He looked nervous for some reason. “Umm.”

Naruto rolled his eyes, knowing where it was heading. Kiba always acted this way before asking for something. “Here we go.”

“Look, you don’t have to, and please don’t chop any of my body parts off for asking this, but…”

“What?”

“I have to meet up with the Uchihas on Friday and sign the contract.”

“So?”

“So… I need someone to help me with it. I don’t understand how this kind of thing works.”

“Are you asking me to tag along?” Naruto spat.

“Umm. I mean… yes?” Kiba looked ready to run for his life.

Naruto exhaled sharply. “No. No way.”

“Please, man,” Kiba begged, still keeping a safe distance between them. “You’re the only one who can do this. Shino doesn’t know shit about contracts.”

“Ask Hinata,” his reply was terse.

“Hinata? Dude, she’s the daughter of their biggest rival. You’re out of your mind if you think Hinata’s father will let me borrow her.”

“You’re out of your mind if you think I’m doing it,” Naruto got to his feet, not looking Kiba in the eye.

“Naruto. Man. I’ll do anything. Just this once. I’ll interfere if Sasuke tries speaking with you. I won’t let him get near you.”

“Thanks but I can manage on my own, Kiba,” he groaned. “It’s not about Sasuke anyway.”

“Then what?”

Well, Kiba had a point. There was no reason for him to not help if it wasn’t about Sasuke. Was he really running away from him, like Sakura had said? Was he lying to himself?

No. If he lied to himself, he would have nothing left. He had to face the truth. He evaluated the situation in his head again; if he were to see Sasuke, he could get the closure he was looking for. And they weren’t even going to speak personally if he didn’t want to. It was a business meeting and nothing more.

What could go wrong?

“Fine,” he stopped in his tracks and replied. “I will come with you.”

“Sweet! Thanks!” Kiba hugged him from behind for a brief moment. “Don’t hesitate to ask for any favors. I owe you so much.”

“Hmm,” Naruto licked his lips, angled his head to see Kiba and gave a cocky grin. “Remember your words. I might take you up on that offer sometime.”

. . .

Shino and Kiba had taken care of Menma. The problem turned out to be a kidney disease like Kiba had guessed. Shino had said it wasn’t too severe yet and he would be okay.

Naruto was grateful to have them because he hadn’t been able to leave his room in 5 hours. His eyes were starting to see blurry from looking at a screen too much.

“Fuck,” he whimpered. “Why is the internet here so fucking slow?”

“Naruto, dinner’s ready!” He heard Kushina yell from downstairs. He needed to eat quickly. Yes, he was finally done with work, but it didn’t mean Sai was, and he had to send the files as quickly as possible. Disappointing his teammate wasn’t something he wanted.

He hurriedly went to the kitchen, digging into his food without waiting for his parents. “Dad, are you downloading movies or something?” He asked, spitting food pieces in the process. Kushina slapped him lightly on the back for that.

“No,” Minato shook his head, grabbing the salt. “Why?”

“It’s too slow. I can’t get anything done. This is urgent,” he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Sorry. We can turn off our Wi-Fi connections if that will help.”

“Nah. It’s okay,” Naruto spooned his tomato soup. “Mom. Do you know where the ethernet cable is?”

Kushina gave him a blank stare as she sat down across Naruto.

“The gray cable? I used it when I had a desktop computer in my room.”

“I don’t know, honey. Maybe under your bed? You had a box of electronic stuff there.”

“Ugh. Not under the bed,” he let the spoon go. “It’s so disorganized and… dusty.”

“I told you to clean your room a million times when you stayed here. Not my fault,” Kushina announced.

“Yeah, yeah. I know,” Naruto pouted. “Thanks for dinner. I gotta go.”

Minato arched a light brow. “You didn’t finish it.”

“I feel too stressed to eat.” He pushed his chair inside the table. “I will finish it once I’m done.”

“I’ll leave it on the countertop. Don’t forget to eat!” Kushina tried to tell him, but Naruto was already upstairs in his room, the door closed behind him. Kneeling, he opened the flashlight of his phone to see under the bed.

The insides of his nose felt weird, and he sneezed twice. He didn’t remember what each box held, so he picked a random one and pulled it out, hoping for it to be the correct one.

Well, it wasn’t. He didn’t know why he kept old magazines he had collected in high school, and he would love to go through them and throw some away for extra space, but he didn’t have time. He pushed the box back and pulled out the one next to it.

It stored journals and photographs he’d taken with his Polaroid camera. A voice in his head told him it was a bad, very bad idea as he blew the dust over one of them, watching two high school boys on the paper with longing in his eyes. The blond one was grinning impossibly wide while the other had a small smirk playing on his lips, his dark, intelligent eyes focused on the other’s face.

To stop himself from saying the name, he pressed his lips together. It had been a long time since he’d last seen Sasuke’s face.

He put it down, taking something else from the box, the cable long forgotten. Being the sentimental person he was, he always kept small things. He treasured them, especially when it was a rare gesture. An affectionate note written in Sasuke’s handwriting was, of course, one of them. He didn’t read it.

His hands were sweaty as he rearranged underneath the bed and sat on the mattress. His laptop showed the file he’d spent half an hour trying to upload was already sent.

“Figures you’d be an ass too, Universe,” he muttered to himself, clutching the green sheets with his hands as he thought about how stupid he was for thinking it would be a great day when he woke up. Now that he didn’t need the cable, and he was very distracted from his work, he laid down for a minute to rest his stinging eyes.

Like a goddamn chained reaction, memories were flooding into his brain one after one. One of them was very vivid, though. It isolated itself from the others by how much the pain was similar to the one Naruto was feeling right now.

It was the night Sasuke had come out to his parents. He remembered holding Sasuke in his arms in this very bed, kissing him, crying with him. He had felt every sting along with Sasuke.

He still didn’t understand why a father would do that to his son. It wasn’t a matter of being oblivious to the fact that some people didn’t like homosexuals. No, he got that. But it was his own son. You just… didn’t do that. You didn’t tell him to leave the house in the middle of the night.

You didn’t abandon him like that. No matter what he was or what he did.

Perplexed and drained, he shut his laptop after replying to Sai’s emails. Menma was still asleep in the hallway. The painkillers had not lost their effects yet. Naruto had bought him a new bed and Menma seemed to like it. He considered giving him a pat, but he didn’t want to risk waking him up until he was fully healthy. Resting was important for now.

He finished his soup and washed his plate. Kushina and Minato were having tea in the living room, watching some horror movie on TV. Naruto didn’t feel like joining them.

His blue eyes caught the clock on the wall. It was a little past 9 pm. Perfect time to go out.


	7. A New Face

He knew it was a bit selfish to think about going to a club when his teammates were working their asses off, but he also realized there was no way he could do something creative at the moment. Not after the flood of memories that had invaded his brain. Besides, if things went well at the club and he relaxed, he could get some work done in the morning.

“Mom. Dad. I’m goin’ home.”

“Why?” Kushina put her tea cup on the coffee table and walked to Naruto, giving him a disappointed look. “I thought you’d stay.”

“Me too,” he murmured, his eyes studying the floorboards. “Maybe some other time.”

Kushina pouted and pulled him in for a bear hug. “You’re getting thin. Are you not eating?”

“I’m eating just fine,” he hugged back, careful not to drop his briefcase. “And hey, I’m working out a lot. How am I thinner?”

“Hmm. Maybe your muscles are not developing the way they should be,” Kushina pinched the skin of Naruto’s upper arm.

“Ow. That is not the way to do it,” Naruto faked annoyance. “Anyway. Kiss Menma for me when he’s up.”

“Will do.” Kushina brushed her crimson hair back. “Have you noticed that it smells like vanilla under his chin?”

Naruto’s face wrinkled at the awkwardness of his mother’s words. “Are you smellin’ my cat? Wait, I don’t wanna know.” He rushed to the couch and gave Minato a light punch on the shoulder.

“Go, if you don’t want to hear any more,” Minato chuckled. “I listen to her say these every day.”

“I’m worried for your mental health, Dad.”

The slap on the back of his neck was well-deserved. Before he left, Kushina didn’t forget to kiss him on the cheek too. His fondness of physical touch had probably passed from his mother. He didn’t complain, even though it was a curse sometimes.

About an hour later, he’d dropped his stuff at home. He showered, shaved and pulled on his best clothes. It would be fair to say he was dressed to kill. His tight ripped jeans showed off both the beautiful, tan skin of his knees and his perfectly muscled thighs. When he wanted to impress, it was easy from all the time he’d spent at the gym. He himself was surprised at how good the light blue jeans looked on him. His navy blue shirt was tight, hugging his abs and arms completely. As he styled his hair, he noticed the color had made his eyes look a bit darker.

It was good. He liked the effect.

To get the stickiness of the hair gel out, he washed his hands. He checked if he had emails from the team one last time before he put on his shoes and grabbed his keys.

. . .

The club was packed. He hadn’t expected that since it was a weekday, but he didn’t complain. This meant he had more options.

After only two drinks, he felt ready to hit the floor. His body was slowly heating up thanks to alcohol, and he was more than okay with lust-filled looks thrown his way. Slowly, he stalked to the middle of the floor, his body making contact with people as he did.

It hadn’t even been a minute when a petite brunette with a tight, black dress threw her arms around Naruto’s neck. She looked like she was enjoying herself, so Naruto played along, putting his hands on her waist and pulling her close just enough to touch when they moved, but not enough for their bodies to press flush.

Her movements were fluid. She was almost too used to dancing with strangers. She easily compensated the lack of experience on Naruto’s part. Naruto was used to dancing on his own, it was a gift, but when it came to dancing with a partner, he was virginal. Sasuke didn’t like dancing, and Naruto hadn’t had anyone to dance with before.

Well, that apparently was about to change.

The song changed. The girl let go of Naruto and turned around, grinding her ass against Naruto’s crotch. If it weren’t for the loud music, he would be utterly embarrassed, because a low, needy groan left his throat at the contact.

It had been too long. It wasn’t his fault!

He felt confused. Was he supposed to rub against her? Was he supposed to stop her and step back? The contact was already making his blood rush south. It was happening too fast for his liking. He didn’t even know her name.

Wearing an apologetic smile on his face, he chose the latter option and stopped the girl, mouthing an apology. Under her bewildered gaze, he walked away to the other side of the dance floor, considering another drink, but ending up smiling at a guy who shamelessly grabbed his butt. Taking things fast was apparently a thing here. He let the dark haired man rub his crotch to his own, creating friction. It was awkward; there had been no foreplay, no words exchanged, nothing. But the male physiology was something he was familiar with and he felt more safe with the guy, so he kept dancing.

The air was humid and heated. Wherever he looked, he saw bodies shining with sweat, people holding each other, kissing and touching. Licking his suddenly dry lips, he looked into the light blue eyes of the man grinding against him. It didn’t take him long to lose his mind in the sexual haze around the club, and he harshly fisted his hands in dark hair, closing his mouth on the other’s with force. Despite not being able to hear, the vibrations he felt against his arm let him know of the loud groan the man gave.

He’d missed kissing. Nothing about the methodic way of mouths thrusting in each other’s mouths was sensual, but there was the physical contact. Naruto knew he wasn’t alone, he felt another human being’s body touching his own, hard and unyielding, and it was enough for him.

But his hands snapped forward and gripped the dark haired man’s wrist when he tried cupping Naruto through his pants. He… was not ready for that. Not yet. At least not with a complete stranger he hadn’t even spoken to. The man gave him a puzzled look with his electric blue eyes, then snorted and moved on to another guy.

Naruto didn’t have much time to feel bad about it. He shrugged and decided it was certainly time for another drink.

“Rum and coke,” he told the bartender and sat down on one of the stools, aware of the glances still thrown his way. He was thankful that his friends had made him realize people actually wanted to dance with him. Dancing on his own was fun… but not what he needed right now.

He sipped at his drink as he eyed the crowd. Everyone seemed to be lost in their own worlds, rubbing against their partners and kissing with wide open mouths. Naruto didn’t find the scene arousing, but his dick didn’t agree. Of course, the sexual frustration was still there. It was only natural.

He started to watch people that sat in booths. Most were there with their own group, chatting and laughing, somehow hearing each other despite the loud music. Drinks were in their hands. Some booths were nearly empty. Naruto wondered what kind of people they were and why they sat alone.

Then his eyes found crimson hair similar to his own. The angle didn’t allow him to fully see the face, but he was sure he was familiar with that jawline. Grabbing his glass, he started walking toward the man, happy that he found someone he knew in this packed place.

“Sasori-senpai!” He loudly called out. The man turned around to face Naruto. 

“Sasori-senpai?”

To his surprise, it certainly wasn’t Sasori. Still, Naruto squinted, trying to understand why he had been so sure it was Sasori. The alcohol might be the reason, but it did nothing to sweep away the embarrassment. “Sorry,” he mumbled. The music would block his voice from reaching the man’s ears anyway, and Naruto hoped his lips were readable. “I thought you were someone else.”

A pale hand beckoned him closer. Naruto raised a brow but complied. He had no reason not to.

After studying Naruto thoroughly with a pair of green eyes, the guy leaned forward, speaking into Naruto’s ear. “Do you know Sasori?”

“…Yeah,” he nodded, putting his glass on the table. The musky scent of the guy’s perfume reached Naruto’s nose. “He was my senpai in high school. Do you know him too?”

“My cousin,” he answered briefly. “I’m surprised you still call him senpai.”

“Ah. That’s why you look alike,” Naruto chuckled to himself. “It’s a habit.”

The heat he felt on his cheeks wasn’t from the club. He was still embarrassed about mistaking the guy for Sasori. Now that he could see his face close-up, he noticed how different they actually looked. “I’m Naruto, by the way.”

The man’s brows were drawn together in a slight frown. “Naruto, huh.”

“What’s your name?” Naruto asked when the other man didn’t introduce himself, and downed the remains in his glass.

“Gaara.”

“Gaara…” He tested the way the name rolled on his tongue. His gaze raked over the crowd again. There were still people watching him, but they were considerably less now. He didn’t dwell on why. “So, how come you are sitting alone?”

Gaara reached for his glass that contained what appeared to be scotch and drank. Naruto’s eyes followed his thin lips. “The same reason why you’re alone here.”

“You don’t know why I’m alone. You don’t know  _ if _ I’m alone. I might have friends waiting for me.”

“You don’t,” Gaara stated. “I’ve been observing you.”

Naruto gently scratched his chin and scooted away from Gaara to earn himself some space.

Gaara smirked. “Don’t get your panties in a twist. I observe everyone. You’re no exception.”

Somehow, Naruto simply nodded, completely believing him. Impressed by the man’s ability to convince, he relaxed his body, his gaze raking over Gaara. The lights were not strong above the booths, not giving Naruto much opportunity to really tell every detail, but he could pick out a couple of things. Their hair colors were actually very different up close. Naruto had chosen a light shade of crimson for his hair while Gaara’s natural hair was a dark blood red, just like Sasori’s. His skin, even under the shadows, was pale and porcelain-like. His aura made Naruto want to stay away, but at the same time, he wanted to sit and learn more about him. For some reason, Gaara was quite intriguing, and Naruto liked getting to know about people. Also, Gaara was the one who’d made him sit down in the first place. He was not leaving unless he was asked to.

Curiosity took over him as he looked at Gaara’s clothes. He had a leather jacket on, striped black and white shirt under that, and black jeans with black boots. Everything about Gaara seemed basic yet interesting.

“You’re…” Naruto started but didn’t say anything else. Gaara’s eyes met his.

“Why aren’t you back on the dance floor?”

“I don’t know,” he truthfully answered.

“I’ve seen you dance,” Gaara said, staring straight ahead. “Many times. When you were with your friends. Or with that girl over there. And that guy.”

“What are you trying to say?” Naruto demanded, his voice rough.

“Nothing. I’m just sharing my observations with you.” He turned slightly so his body faced Naruto’s completely. “You’re looking for a physical connection, but you don’t want to hook up with random strangers. You were fine with dancing on your own until this week. Something changed the last time you were here.” His eyes narrowed, the green of his irises twinkling brightly. His face was stoic. “It’s not just about relief anymore.”

Naruto’s lips quirked up in amusement before he realized how pathetic he sounded and frowned again. “How do you know about the past?”

“I come here most nights.”

“ _ Go on _ .” He kept his thoughts about just how disturbing it was to himself.

“You’re longing to be touched.”

“Hmm,” Naruto leaned back and inhaled deeply, the heavy smell of sweat lingering in the air making him wrinkle his nose. “Do you ever get punched for your observations?”

“No. I don’t normally share my observations. You are an exception in this case,” he murmured, but his voice was still loud enough for Naruto to hear.

“Okay,” Naruto coldly said. “I still might punch you.”

“You won’t,” Gaara retaliated. “I observed you enough to know you’re not that type of guy.”

“Is that what you do? Sitting here in the shadows and  _ observing _ people? I gotta say, that’s kinda creepy.”

Gaara didn’t flinch. “You would be surprised if you knew how much information I gather. Creepy makes people stay away too.”

“What do you do with the information?”

“It depends. I observe business partners. Friends. You never know when you’ll need the information.”

Naruto watched Gaara’s fingers lightly tap the table. “You’re a businessman?”

“…Sort of,” Gaara gave a small smirk. “Sasori’s father and my own work together. Sasori and I, on the other hand, are a bit different than that.”

“I’m not sure if I want to find out more,” Naruto licked his lips, preparing to stand up. It was getting late, and he still wanted to dance. “It was nice chatting with you.”

“You won’t find what you’re looking for here.”

“Maybe. I’ll take my chances,” Naruto grinned. Gaara’s face told nothing but to fuck off while his actions indicated he enjoyed Naruto’s company. He was a bit awkward compared to other people Naruto knew. He suspected Gaara was running some underground mafia business. For someone like that, he was too kind. Almost.

“Suit yourself,” Gaara shrugged, following Naruto, his hand in his jacket as if he was searching his pocket for something. “I’m heading out. It’s too packed for me to observe properly.”

Naruto undid the first two buttons of his shirt. It really was too hot and crowded. He wasn’t even sure he could dance with anybody at this point. People seemed all squished together. It was like an orgy with a hundred people. “On second thought,” he spoke to himself, surprised to see Gaara was still next to him, listening. “Maybe tonight’s not the night.”

Gaara’s grin was almost feral. “I knew you’d change your mind.”

“You’re really creepy, dude,” Naruto chuckled. He was being honest, and Gaara didn’t seem to mind.

“Hm. Come with me.”

“Eh?” Naruto wasn’t sure if he should go home and get some work done – he’d danced and maybe that would be enough to concentrate – at least to get some sleep, or follow Gaara and see what he was up to. What were the chances of him being an organ trader?

A glare from Gaara interrupted his thoughts. “I’m just having a smoke. Stop being a pussy.”

Before he realized, he was following the guy to the back door. Gaara opened the steel door, and fresh air filled Naruto’s lungs. It was much better than inside, that was for sure.

“You want one?” Gaara offered, holding out a package of cigarettes.

“No, thanks,” Naruto said, awkwardly looking around as Gaara leaned against the alley wall and pulled out a lighter, the sole of his left foot touching the wall as well.

It was dark out in the street. The pale moonlight lit up Gaara’s face, bringing out his deep, green eyes, but the rest of his body was in the shadows. Being in the dark suited Gaara. Naruto was nervous without a reason, his hands in his pockets, watching as Gaara brought the cigarette to his lips and sucked in a breath, his cheeks hollowing.

“Sooo,” he drawled out. “Why did you invite me here?”

“No reason. You seemed bored,” Gaara exhaled. Naruto’s eyes followed the gray smoke before it vanished into the air.

“How do I seem now?”

“Less bored,” Gaara smirked. “Have you tried smoking before?”

Naruto shook his head. “Uh. No. I don’t like the smell.”

Another person might have asked if Naruto wanted them to put out the smoke, but Gaara gave no reaction, only staring at Naruto. The smell reminded Naruto of the times he’d tell Sasuke to quit. It had been over a year, but once Naruto breathed in the smell, it was impossible to run from the memories.

Gaara appeared to be thinking. Neither said a word as Naruto took his place next to him, their arms brushing. The trees rustled with the breeze, and despite the soft atmosphere, Naruto felt his body tense.

“Do you prefer guys or girls?” Gaara inquired all of a sudden, breaking the silence.

“I…” Naruto chewed his bottom lip. “Don’t really know.” The girl he’d danced with earlier hadn’t felt bad, but with guys, it was familiar territory.

“You were more relaxed when you danced with the guy,” Gaara sighed, stepping on the burnt out butt. “The girl was more of an experiment for you.”

“Will you keep your interpretations for yourself?” Naruto bit out, clearly annoyed with the comment. Gaara didn’t know him. There were things he couldn’t figure out with simply watching.

“I’m trying to find out more about you,” Gaara pivoted on his feet to face him. His lids were narrowed, his voice low and almost husky. “I can read you like an open book, yet I feel like there are pages ripped off.”

Naruto didn’t answer. His gaze fixated on the moon, his hands sweaty in his pockets. The erratic beating of his heart was meaningless. He had come here to find someone to get completely over Sasuke. He’d climbed all of the stairs except for one, and just when he was finally taking the last step, he felt like he was tumbling and rolling down the staircase.

The warmth surrounding him caused him to slightly jump in surprise. He sucked in a breath, glancing at Gaara’s body. No, he wasn’t that close. He’d taken only one step forward, and it made Naruto feel somewhat warm.

“I’m interested in you,” Gaara told, his voice clear of emotions other than curiosity. “Tell me. How are you feeling?”

Naruto licked his lips, searching for an answer. “Cold,” he muttered, following Gaara’s eyes as they fixed on Naruto’s lips. It didn’t take a genius to understand Gaara was interested in him in more than one way.

Gaara stepped into Naruto’s personal space, his chest an inch from touching Naruto’s. Their breaths mingled. “I can make you feel warm.”

His tone sent a shiver down Naruto’s spine, his blood heating up even more as he felt his dick stir in his pants. Gaara’s tone sounded authoritative, but the way he waited for Naruto’s permission to make a move said otherwise. As much as it surprised Naruto, it was fair to say he was interested as well.

“I’d like to see you try,” he whispered.

A second later, Gaara’s lips were on his.

Gaara was warm. Naruto pulled his hands out of his pockets and wrapped them around the man’s torso to feel more of it. At first, kisses were soft and searching, both discovering. Then, Gaara licked into Naruto’s mouth, and all Naruto could do was to moan in abandon as he tasted the ash of the cigarette in Gaara’s mouth. One of his legs automatically wrapped around Gaara’s waist, pressing them closer. Naruto hadn’t realized he was hard until he felt Gaara’s cock against his.

“Nghh,” he broke the kiss, panting hard. Gaara wasted no time, nibbling on Naruto’s jaw, neck, sucking and biting.

“It’s been longer than I thought,” he murmured into Naruto’s ear before licking the shell of it.

Naruto could not think straight with all his blood pooled in his groin. It definitely had been way too long. “My place is close.”

“Good,” Gaara rolled his hips to connect their arousals as their lips met again.

Naruto didn’t know what this was, but he wanted it. He wanted it  _ bad _ .

* * *

Sasuke and Itachi walked into the apartment, putting down the grocery bags after taking their shoes off. Sasuke felt the instinct to check on Busu as soon as possible. Calling it an obsession would be exaggerating, but during work hours, he often thought about what the cat was doing. He found it awkward that he had bonded with the cat in just one day. Then again, he was used to living with a cat, but this time, he found comfort in knowing there was someone waiting for him at home.

Busu was licking himself on the bed when he entered the room (why were cats so obsessed with Sasuke’s bed again?), toy mouse on his pillow. Forgetting about Itachi, he sat down and lifted Busu with his hands, letting the cat nuzzle his stomach, then sit on his lap. Sasuke wondered if he’d eaten yet.

“I see you two are getting along well,” Itachi spoke. Sasuke, although not being aware his brother’s presence in the room, calmly angled his head to see him.

“He’s quiet. We’re only keeping each other company.”

“He seems to like you,” Itachi leaned his head against the door frame. His jacket was off, revealing his stainless shirt with his sleeves rolled up. “What do you call him?”

Sasuke gave the cat a scratch. “Busu.”

An amused chuckle left Itachi’s throat. “Seriously?”

“I threatened him. He didn’t budge. It’s not my fault.”

“You threatened the cat?” Itachi paced toward Sasuke and Busu, a smile tugging on his lips. It wasn’t mocking. His hand reached out and patted Sasuke on the head. “That is so you.”

Sasuke raised a skeptical brow, ignoring the statement. “Why are you being intimate?”

Itachi’s expression turned into something dead serious. “Sasuke. You don’t realize how robotic you were the past year.”

Gently, Sasuke put the cat back on the bed and stood up, feeling his stomach clench at Itachi’s words. “So you decided to play the role of the caring brother again?”

“No. We both know that doesn’t work with us.” He glanced at the cat, then back into Sasuke’s eyes. “You needed to feel again.”

“Feel?” Sasuke tried to keep his voice down. “All I’ve been doing was to feel. Look where I am now.”

Itachi brought a hand to his face, palming his long bangs away in exasperation. “You can’t keep living like that.”

“Don’t tell me what to do, Itachi,” Sasuke bit out, turning away to find something comfortable to wear.

“That… is not what I’m trying to do.”

Sasuke grabbed two sweatpants, throwing one to Itachi. They had agreed on Itachi staying here tonight since the meeting with Inuzuka needed to be discussed. “Then you’re on the wrong path.”

“Sasuke.”

Closing the closet door with two t-shirts in his hand, Sasuke sighed. “What?”

“I’m just… happy to see you’re not so detached from life outside of work anymore.” He took one of the shirts from Sasuke and left the room, closing the door.

For a moment, Sasuke blankly stared at the door, taking in what Itachi had said. He knew that was probably one of the most caring words he would ever hear from his brother, and he couldn’t help but smile, shaking his head at how poor his brother’s social skills were. Sasuke wasn’t very good at communication either, but even though he wouldn’t like to admit, Naruto had helped him improve a lot. Itachi had never had the chance to do so. Neji was the person Itachi spent most of his time with, and if Sasuke had to be fair, Neji wasn’t very good at it either.

He contemplated exchanging secretaries as he pulled on his comfy shirt and sweatpants, hanging his suit afterward. Busu appeared to be asleep, so Sasuke didn’t bug him.

When he went to the kitchen to start cooking, Itachi was already there. Silently, Sasuke pulled out the things they had bought from the bags, placing them in the refrigerator.

“Busu’s food container is empty.”

Sasuke made a sound to let Itachi know he was happy with it. “He likes it.”

“The idea to be a business partner to Inuzuka shouldn’t seem that stupid to you now, am I right?” Itachi inquired.

“I have to admit, it might not be as stupid as I thought,” Sasuke proceeded to stir the boiling soup on the stove. “But I still don’t understand why you want to invest in a business out of our field. You know that we’re focused solely on electronics.”

“Sometimes you need to make changes in order to earn more,” Itachi briefly explained, putting carrots into the broth. “That is not valid only in business.”

“I don’t need life advice, especially from you,” said Sasuke, half-joking, still bewildered over Itachi’s half-assed confession earlier. Itachi’s face didn’t give away anything, but his voice was softer than before when he spoke. More…  _ vulnerable _ .

“As your brother, it is my duty to give you advice.”

What was going on with Itachi that day, Sasuke had no idea, but he gave him a small, reassuring smile that he didn’t know he was capable of forming. “Thank you.”

With a nod, Itachi stepped to his side, urging Sasuke to step aside as well, and turned off the stove. Taking this as his cue to start setting the table, Sasuke took out some plates and silverware. “I asked Neji to come here after dinner,” Itachi informed Sasuke as he filled the plates with warm food. “I hope it’s alright with you.”

Sasuke’s mood was too good for him to snap at Itachi for inviting someone without asking him first. Also, Neji wasn’t really bad. “Don’t do it again without asking me,” he replied, trying to keep his voice authoritative while opening the refrigerator to take out drinks for them. Alcohol wasn’t the ideal drink since they were apparently going to work, and he didn’t have anything other than coke, he grabbed the bottle, eyeing the beer bottles next to it. Itachi occasionally preferred beer, so he kept them there, buying more when he went to grocery shopping.

They ate together, the banter light between them. Then, Sasuke did the cleaning while Itachi made some tea. Neji, as expected, was there on time.

After small talk, Sasuke went back to the kitchen to bring their teas. Neji and Itachi were sitting side by side on the couch, Neji’s laptop was on the coffee table. He put the tray next to it and sat in the armchair, crossing his legs. “Well?”

Neji cleared his throat and fidgeted. Sasuke ignored the uncharacteristic movements of the man. “I brought Inuakashi’s sales graphics for good measure. But the important thing is,” he glanced at Itachi. “I might have come up with something to have the edge over my uncle.”

“You said the odds were against us last year,” Sasuke mused. “What changed?”

“That’s the point,” Neji quickly typed something on the laptop and opened a file. “This Inuakashi thing. I did not realize how major of a role it could play. Look at  _ this _ ,” he brought the cursor over a line chart. “I did some quick calculations. Right now, it’s the biggest pet food company in Japan. We have approximately  10 million cats and 2.3 million dogs. The numbers are  86.4 million and 78.2 million in the US. I doubt I need to explain what will happen if the brand goes successful.”

“There’s no guarantee American people will buy,” said Sasuke. “You can never know what the goddamn Americans will like.”

“A little marketing goes a long way, Sasuke,” Itachi chimed in.

“I’ve already sent word to the marketing department. Also, the new website is being designed.”

Sasuke nodded, convinced, and took a sip from his green tea. “That’s good. Is it the same company that did the main website?”

Neji’s mouth opened, but Itachi was faster. “No.”

“Then who?” He skeptically eyed Neji, who had scooted a bit far from Itachi. “Is something wrong, Neji?”

Itachi brushed a dark strand of hair aside. “Inuzuka hired the people doing it.”

Chewing on his lip, Sasuke sighed. “He still owns all rights, but he should at least ask us. Anyway, are they at least good?”

Neji rubbed his thighs through his dark blue jeans with his hands. “Very.”

“Sasuke,” the older man spoke. “Uzumaki’s team is in charge of designing the new website.”

The revelation made Sasuke bristle. He pressed his lips together, putting down his drink to avoid spilling anything, and folded his arms over his chest, studying his face into an indifferent expression. “They’re good at what they’re doing.”

“Indeed.” Neji motioned Sasuke to sit down between Itachi and himself as he took hold of the laptop and put it on his lap. “We have things to discuss now.”

* * *

The bed dipped down and went up again as the man next to Naruto rolled out. Naruto normally was a heavy sleeper, but a stranger spending the night in his bed had made him stay on guard the whole time.

He yawned, cracking an eye open to see what time it was. The sheet he’d wound around his bare hips had pooled down around his ankles. Naruto pulled it over himself once more to hide whatever parts of his body was exposed.

The sound of water hitting the shower tiles was heard, and Naruto stretched his muscles in an attempt to wake up. His calves ached, he wasn’t exactly sure why, but he was more relaxed than most mornings. He figured two rounds of sex did that to a person.

Gaara was quick to clean up and return from the bathroom. Naruto watched him dress up and dry his hair.

“Good morning.” Apparently, Gaara was aware of Naruto’s eyes on his body. His monotone voice didn’t give away what he was feeling, which unnerved Naruto. 

“Mornin’.”

“You roll around a lot in your sleep,” Gaara said, doing the buckle of his belt, his back facing Naruto.

He gruffly apologized. “Yeah. Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine,” Gaara said, then turned around. “I had fun last night.”

Naruto unconsciously clutched the sheets and licked his lips. “…Me too.”

Gaara seemed to assess something for a moment, his eyes squinted and the green sparkling with intelligence. “Do you want my number?”

“Huh?” Naruto breathed out, feeling caught off guard as a deep frown formed on his face. “Look, I know we didn’t get to discuss what this was gonna be yesterday. You don’t have to give me your number if you wanted this to be a one night stand.”

“I know,” Gaara stalked over to the bed and put one knee on the mattress. “The question is simple, Naruto. Do you want it or not?”

His eyes found his hands that clutched the sheets, and Naruto took a moment to think. Knowing his physical needs – both sexually and just the need to be touched, he could foresee he would be in touch with Gaara if he got his number. From their little chat in the club, he could guess they’d be good friends too.

Well, in this case, friends with benefits.

“I do,” he finally muttered, watching Gaara’s lips curl up in the smallest of smiles.

“Glad to hear that,” said Gaara, his voice low and throaty.

Naruto reached for his phone on the nightstand and punched in the password. Without letting Naruto do anything else, Gaara grabbed it, saving his number in record speed.

“Disturb me anytime.”

“When you put it that way,” Naruto let out a short laugh and put the device back to its place. Gaara retreated his knee and brushed off his jeans. Naruto, without thinking, spoke. “Are you leaving?”

With a sly smirk, Gaara raked a hand through his half dry hair. “You’d rather I stay?”

Sitting up, Naruto sighed. “You probably have things to do.”

“Hm.” Gaara put his knee back on the bed. “You tend to avoid questions.”

This was stupid. The situation made Naruto look pathetic and needy, yet, he couldn’t bring himself to say no. “Yes, if you have nothing urgent.”

“I could postpone. But breakfast’s on you.”

Naruto laughed. “Deal.”


	8. Line

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I KNOW. I'm so sorry for not updating for... I don't even know. I have a lot on my plate right now, and maybe some of you remember me saying that I don't feel encouraged to write this anymore. Well, that was the biggest reason why I haven't, but it's kind of gone now? I started writing something else in the meantime and had time to think about this story. I changed the plot a bit and outlined the rest (yes, there is a plot if you were wondering that). Now I'll focus on this until it's finished but like I said, I'm busy. I can't promise updates every week. But thanks to everyone who were kind enough to leave me comments and kudos. Thank you so much. I appreciate it so much.
> 
> Sooo, here you go! -runs to hide- God knows I wouldn't be able to publish this without Leez so special thanks to her. Love you. <3

“Kiba,” Naruto called out, undoing the seatbelt as his friend turned off the engine, oblivious to his inner conflict. “Remember to read everything before you sign the contract.”

“I get it, I get it! This is the thousandth time you’re telling this to me,” Kiba whined. “You’ll be sitting right next to me anyway. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?”

“Because I know you’ll be crying on my shoulder should you miss something and regret it later.”

Naruto fought the urge to purse his lips as they got out of Kiba’s baby blue Mitsubishi Mirage. The parking lot was almost full so they’d parked somewhere far from the main entrance of the building. 

Kiba had been informed someone would welcome him before he went inside, but Naruto knew another entrance that would take them to their destination, thanks to the times when he used to come here to pick Sasuke up. Not that he wanted to remember any of those memories right now.

“C’mon. This way,” he meekly gestured Kiba to follow him. Kiba, contrary to Naruto’s prediction, did not protest. The way his hands trembled was not unseen by Naruto, yet, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything. Simply because he wasn’t in a better state himself. Their reasons were different, but neither was in the right mind to comfort the other.

So, they walked in silence. The closest elevator were accessible by the emergency stairs – which were normally out of order, but since the doors were unlocked, Naruto proceeded to head toward them.

“Ah, great. We’re entering from the emergency exit,” Kiba rolled his eyes. “Just great.”

“Stop bein’ a pussy. Go ahead and take the other route if you’re so eager to take a long walk.”

Kiba didn’t reply. They climbed the stairs, the soles of their rubber shoes making squeaking sounds, and Kiba pushed the button for the elevator. Luckily, it was already on the ground floor.

“Um. I don’t know which floor,” Kiba groaned, scratching his cheek in thought. Naruto simply pushed the button that read 30, ignoring Kiba’s confused glance.

A moment passed in uncomfortable silence. Eventually, Naruto took a deep breath and put a hand on Kiba’s shoulder. “Hey. Calm down. You’ll be fine.”

“That’s easy to say!” Kiba cried, starting to desperately tug on the fabric of his jeans. “I should’ve worn a suit. But I don’t even have one. How will I deal with these guys?”

“Hear what they have to say, then read everything and sign. You don’t have to give a speech. Remember,  _ they  _ want to be  _ your  _ partner. Once Itachi sets his mind on doing something, he won’t give it up easily. You’re safe.”

The elevator doors opened.

“I hope you’re right,” Kiba murmured as they walked out.

Subconsciously, Naruto started heading to Sasuke’s office, but it didn’t take him more than three steps to realize his stupid mistake and turn around.

“Whoops. Not that way,” he gave a small, apologetic smile to Kiba. “Haven’t been here in a long time.”

Kiba shook his head. “Just don’t get lost.”

Of course, walking in the that particular building brought back many memories. Naruto tried his best at keeping them from affecting him, no matter how difficult it was.

The faces they saw were familiar as they kept pacing down the hall. There were more people than Naruto remembered. He figured some were newly hired, and the ones who recognized him gave weird looks.

Rumors surely spread fast.

They were a couple of doors away from the big meeting room when a deep voice called out Naruto’s name, making the man jump vaguely. Kiba looked bemused as Naruto angled his head to the direction the voice came and a small smile appeared on his lips. “Neji.”

Hyuuga’s long, chestnut brown hair was tied in a low ponytail. The suit he wore looked expensive as always. His expression was stoic, but Naruto could read that he hadn’t expected to see him here.

“It’s been so long,” Neji said, briefly shaking hands with Naruto as his gaze lingered over his red hair before turning to Kiba. “Inuzuka-san. We were expecting you at the main entrance.”

Naruto held back from answering for Kiba. This was where he needed to start keeping a low profile. The reason why he was here was just to make sure the meeting went smooth, not to do everything for Kiba. Besides, he wasn’t comfortable himself. Kiba had to take care of his own.

Kiba took Neji’s offered hand in his and shook it. “Ah. Naruto knew a shortcut.”

An understanding nod was given, and Neji gestured with a hand to lead the way. “We’d like to get started as soon as possible.”

Kiba muttered under his breath. “Yeah.”

As their footsteps echoed, they entered through the big doors that led them into the meeting room. Realizing there was nobody inside, Naruto released the deep breath he’d been holding.

Neji cleared his throat. “I’ll let them know you have arrived. Please take a seat.”

Naruto bit his tongue to hold back a comment about how unusual it was for Neji to be this polite. The man, as far as Naruto remembered, was too proud and socially inept to be doing this. 

He casually sat down in one of the chairs, watching Kiba’s nervous body lower next to him.

“You think Sasuke will come?”

Naruto pressed his lips tightly together. “Yeah. They’re both CEOs. Sasuke has to sign it too.”

“Damn. I don’t think he knows you’re here,” Kiba mused. “What if he refuses to cooperate?”

Naruto faked a smile to ease Kiba’s nerves. “Don’t be ridiculous. Sasuke wouldn’t let his personal problems affect the business. At least, not the Sasuke I know. And I’m pretty sure Neji will let him know beforehand.”

“Naruto!”

They both turned their heads, only to see a very enthusiastic Karin grinning at them almost creepily.

“What the hell are you doing here?!” She inquired, putting down the papers she held - they were probably the contract. Kiba gave a shudder as Naruto stood up to hug her.

“Kiba needed the moral support.”

“Ohh! Sasuke’s gonna go nuts. Love your hair, by the way. You look hot.”

It was confusing to determine if Karin was happy or mad that Naruto was here. They weren’t close, but Naruto liked chatting with her whenever he visited Sasuke, and apparently the feeling was mutual. Still, as she brought them water and green tea, Naruto was reminded of the fact that he was going to see Sasuke in a very short time.

Worst case scenarios started playing in his mind. Over and over again.

* * *

“…What?”

Sasuke stopped walking. He was having trouble understanding what Neji had just said. No – actually, he fully understood the words, but somehow they made absolutely no sense.

“Naruto is here,” Neji growled, running a frustrated hand through his bangs, still careful not to mess up his ponytail. “I don’t know why. Inuzuka never said a word about this.”

Itachi, who was standing next to Sasuke, gave a deep sigh. “Keep walking, Sasuke. We’re running late.”

“Absolutely not,” Sasuke stepped back, fisting his hands. “What the  _ fuck _ is he doing here? I’m not coming.”

“Neji,” Itachi smiled sweetly. “Could you let Inuzuka-san know we’re coming?”

Quickly nodding in response, Neji walked away toward the meeting room across the hall. There was no one around except for them, which was very unfortunate for Sasuke considering how frightening Itachi could get when he wanted to.

“You  _ are _ coming, little brother.”

Sasuke felt the line between his brows deepen if that were even possible, giving away just how upset he was by the situation. “Itachi. You don’t understand.”

“I understand everything,” Itachi reached for one of Sasuke’s hands, undoing the fist and letting his eyes roam over the crescent shapes that Sasuke’s fingers left there. “What you don’t understand is, Sasuke,” he unwound his fingers from around Sasuke’s hand. “That you have to  _ pretend  _ to be unaffected if you want success in the business world. How are you going to face our rivals if you can’t face your own ex-boyfriend?”

“That has nothing to do with this!”

“Keep telling yourself that,” he sneered. “You have to learn how to deal with different situations and different people. Naruto is not here for you anyway. Stop hating him for ending an unhappy relationship.”

Sasuke scrubbed his face with his right hand. “He’s the one doing the hating.”

Itachi’s expression softened upon hearing that. Very gently, he put a hand on Sasuke’s shoulder. “Come, Sasuke. I’m on your side. Remember that.”

The sudden craving for a smoke was almost unbearable. Nonetheless, Sasuke started walking, his sweaty palms brushing against his pants. He didn’t have time to think. Was he going to act nonchalant about everything? Or was pretending Naruto wasn’t there the best option?

Of course, in the 10 seconds of thinking he did, the only logical outcome was to just… let things happen. Ignoring would give too much away. Keeping it all business was his best shot.

Still, as they walked inside the room, Sasuke’s heart was racing. His eyes were looking straight ahead and trying not to search for a particular blond.

It took him one look toward the Inuzuka to realize he didn’t need to search for a blond anyway. Because the Naruto who sat next to Inuzuka was anything but blond. His hair was a dark red, maybe a couple shades darker than his mother. Sasuke was torn between thinking the color suited Naruto and convincing himself that it looked awful.

Their eyes met.

Sasuke tried not to trip and fall while all Naruto did was to give him a curt nod and return to speaking with Kiba. Like he had any right to act so casual. After everything he’d done, he should’ve come over and apologized to Sasuke.

The rage bubbling up inside was so disturbingly familiar. He took his seat, taking a sip of the water Karin had set for him, took his glasses out from the pocket of his jacket and stared at the papers in front of him as Itachi looked at the others and made sure everyone was here.

“First of all, thanks for coming here, Inuzuka-san.”

Sasuke looked up to see Kiba’s reaction. The man only smiled, appearing a bit too nervous to answer. Without even knowing, he checked Naruto’s expression as well. His teeth were dug into his bottom lip like an attempt to not laugh. His eyes were slightly narrowed. Sasuke thought it was to stifle his laughter.

It was strange knowing he could still read Naruto. And at the same time, saying that felt like lying. After all, there was a huge possibility that he was misinterpreting Naruto’s facial expression. It could be something else… like being deeply focused. 

Itachi began to speak. “I like getting straight to the point. You might be wondering why we’ve decided to ask for you to be a business partner. Considering our company is focused mainly on technology, I wouldn’t be surprised if you think this is unusual,” he said, his lips tugging up.

Sasuke could see how charismatic Itachi could be. His older brother was really impressive.

“However, I want you to know that we saw potential in your business. It’s not entirely usual for us to invest in companies as small as yours, but,” he pointed at the CFO. “Hoshigaki-san will explain why we’re so eager and what our plans are for the future. Please feel free to ask him anything.”

The man stood up, waiting for Neji to turn the projector on as he opened a presentation on his laptop. Sasuke, however, wasn’t really interested in all that at the moment.

Careful not to make it obvious, he watched Naruto whisper something in Kiba’s ear. Kiba shook his head, muttering something back. Naruto’s brows furrowed.

“I have a question.”

Sasuke had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from reacting. He hadn’t heard Naruto’s voice for a whole year – and it had been almost painful since he’d once heard it more often than his own mother’s voice.

“Uzumaki-san. Forgive me if I’m being rude, but what exactly are you here for?”

“Ah. It’s quite alright,  _ Uchiha-san _ ,” Naruto threw a fake smile Itachi’s way. “I’m Kiba’s consultant.”

“That’s… great to hear,” Itachi blankly stated.

Naruto joined his hands together on the table. “So. My question is, what happens if, say, in five years, Kiba decides he doesn’t want to be partners with you anymore?”

“I don’t see why he would want to do that, but if it happens, the outline of the  dissolution strategy is already written in the contract. But I’m sure we can find a resolution rather than terminating the partnership. Parting ways is always the last solution for us.”

“That’s great to hear. Oh, and one more thing.” He lightly coughed. “Kiba told me you said there’s no need for a lawyer? How will I know if you’re trying to take advantage of his lack of knowledge or not?”

Sasuke could sense Itachi was surprised at how thorough Naruto was being about this. He asked the necessary questions, point-blank. Sasuke knew even he would be surprised if it weren’t for his emotions threatening to take over.

He grabbed a pen and lowered his hands so they would be hidden under the table, playing with the object and trying to distract himself.

“I believe that’s why you’re here,” Itachi said. “I’m sure you will read before you sign and I would be glad to change any of the clauses you’re not comfortable with. We can call a lawyer right now if you’re persistent to have one.”

“Heh. That’s good to know,” Naruto nodded. “And I don’t think we need one either. It’ll save us money.”

Itachi politely smiled. “We’ll move on to the presentation now if that’s established.”

In meetings, Sasuke normally wasn’t this passive, but he was afraid he would say something unprofessional and ruin the meeting. It was important for the corporation, after all. Pissing off his retired father wasn’t exactly something he wanted to do, so for the time being, he chose to be silent and keep the raging fire within him in control.

As he was lost in thought, Kisame had apparently finished. Kiba looked pleased. Although Sasuke wasn’t deliberately trying to, his eyes found Naruto against his will.

_ I hate you. I fucking hate you. _

The words in his memory mixed with Naruto’s voice. His heartbeat picked up as he remembered the fights, the sex -  _ everything _ , and Sasuke found himself in an urgent need to get the hell out of there.

His actions weren’t controlled by his brain as he excused himself with a slightly shaking voice. The moment he was out of the room, he took a deep breath and headed for the restroom.

Kicking the door, he rushed inside, turning the tap on and splashing cold water on his face like it would help with anything at all.

He grabbed the edges of the sink and stared at himself in the mirror.

He looked like shit.

Behind the glasses, his eyes were bloodshot and promising a painful death. His cheeks and neck were flushed a bright red, giving away how hot he was feeling. Also, there was this problem about his body shaking uncontrollably, but he’d get to that later. He groaned in frustration. First, he had to figure out how he would survive from Itachi for storming away like that.

But it was impossible to focus on anything other than Naruto. How was he so fucking calm when Sasuke was trying so hard not to kick the table down and strangle the other man? Being smart, asking business related questions. And Sasuke had just sat there and held back from breaking down.

It was not fair. He wanted a cigarette.

He heard the door open.

* * *

Naruto’s clenched hands were slick with sweat. They had gone through the contract twice. He had to admit it was prepared wisely. He hadn’t seen anything that could possibly harm Kiba, so Kiba had signed it.

Itachi was now talking about their future plans, which Hoshigaki-san had already explained, and all Naruto wanted to do was to get some fresh air. He sipped his water, feeling it moisten his mouth.

From the second he’d seen Sasuke, he knew coming here was a big, stinking, terrible mistake. At least he’d helped Kiba by making sure he was getting what he deserved, but seeing Sasuke and not being able to talk with him was… not alright. He’d always imagined the next time he would see Sasuke, they would be over the painful memories and could talk it out like normal people did.

During the meeting, he’d had a very tough time restraining his voice from cracking, from avoiding eye contact. Being aware of the dark pair of eyes on him and not being able to look back was agonizing. 

Finally, Itachi put an end to his suffering and they shook hands. He wondered if Itachi’s stronger than usual grip on his hand meant anything. Well, it wouldn’t be breaking news if it were. He hadn’t parted on good terms with Sasuke.

As Neji and Itachi talked to Kiba, he fled from the room to get away… and maybe find Sasuke. They had come this far. He needed to grow a pair and talk it out and make sure they were good. A voice in his head said that was the only way he could completely move on.

Not caring about the curious glances around, he easily found Sasuke’s office. He swallowed, took a deep breath, and with a shaking hand, knocked on the door.

“He hasn’t come back yet,” somebody spoke. “Ah, shit. Couldn’t recognize you from here. Hey, Nards.”

“Don’t call me that, Suigetsu.” Naruto turned around. “Do you know where he is?”

“Not a clue. Hey, can I come with you? I wanna watch you two go at it!”

_ If looks could kill. _ “Fuck off.”

Suigetsu sniggered, eyeing Naruto as he started walking away. “It was nice seeing you too.”

Naruto checked a couple of other places. He didn’t feel welcome here anymore, and the workers somehow made it clear. He cursed the rumors once more and hoped he wasn’t considered to be some sort of a monster as he leaned against a wall to take a breather from looking for Sasuke. He figured Kiba had to be about done with talking so they would soon leave.

That was when he heard a groan coming from the restroom across him.

His feet led him there, and before he even knew, he was face to face with a very disoriented Sasuke.

The door closed behind them with a low click. The only sound heard was Sasuke’s heavy breathing. Despite everything, Naruto couldn’t help but think Sasuke looked good. He had to admit, time apart had made him even more handsome. His hair was shining brightly, he’d picked up glasses (God, he looked so sexy with those) and the dangerous aura around him was oddly enticing to Naruto.

Sadly, that wasn’t why he was here. Sasuke looked puzzled, his hands tightly gripping the sink. Naruto looked away, slipping his hands into his pockets and studying the walls for a while. After what felt like an eternity, he finally decided to talk. “Hey.”

Sasuke’s posture didn’t change. “What?”

“I said h—“

“I know what you said,” Sasuke hissed, then let go of the sink. “Why are you here?”

“To… talk?” Naruto answered, his words sounding more like a question. It was fair to say he was far from feeling self-confident. “It’s been a while.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“Stop acting like a goddamn child!” Naruto snarled. “It’s not like I’m dying to see you.”

“Yeah, you made that  _ very _ clear the last time we saw each other,” Sasuke snorted, avoiding eye contact as he took off his glasses and shoved them into his jacket.

Naruto tried to ignore the pained look on Sasuke’s face. He couldn’t deal with guilt when he faced his ex-lover.

“…Anyway,” he half-mumbled. “I’m not here to argue. I’m here to make sure we’re… good. End the chapter so we can move on. Whatever you wanna call it.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “I wonder what makes you think I haven’t moved on.”

Naruto arched a brow.  “The way you left in the middle of a meeting?”

“...We’re not good so you can save your bullshit for someone else.”

“Cooperate for once, will ya?” Naruto folded his arms. “I swallowed my pride and came here to talk. I know you’re an asshole. I get it. But you gotta—“

“I’m the asshole?” Sasuke’s glare gave Naruto goosebumps. “You ruined everything. You walked away, didn’t even bother to say goodbye. We dated for seven years and you left me with a fucking note - and now you’re, what, trying to get back in? You think I’m that stupid?”

“I’m not trying to do that!” Naruto denied. “I just wanted to—“

“It’s not always about what you want, Naruto,” Sasuke chuckled hollowly, and took a step to his side, making his shoulder meet the wall. Naruto could tell he was pissed. Enraged. Afraid. Like a wild animal lashing out to protect himself.

He hesitated before nodding. It wasn’t something he could say out loud, but he really never had asked Sasuke about his opinion. He’d assumed Sasuke didn’t care. That he wanted to end the relationship. Deep inside, he feared that maybe he’d been wrong all along. He pivoted on his heel to regard Sasuke. “Fine. What do  _ you _ want?”

“It’s too late to ask that.”

“Tell me,” Naruto urged, his voice soft and tender. “I wanna know.”

As far as Naruto knew, Sasuke was a master at hiding his emotions. But the way his head turned away to hide his face with his bangs didn’t quite suggest that. “I wanted to fix things. Not fucking call it off.”

“You know there’s a reason why I did it.”

“And with a fucking sadistic note.”

“I couldn’t have faced you!”

“Why the hell not?” Sasuke stomped his foot.

“Because I was fuckin’ scared I would never be able to fix  _ myself _ , Sasuke!” Naruto yelled. His voice echoed inside the room. “I was bent and twisted but I couldn’t afford to get  _ broken _ !”

Sasuke softly breathed out. “You never told me.”

Naruto ran a hand through his hair, feeling a mixture of exasperation, guilty and sad. His movement caught Sasuke’s attention.

“You should have told me.”

“Told you what?” His voice was surprisingly calm. “I wasn’t okay. You,  _ apparently _ , weren’t okay. It wouldn’t change anything anyway.”

Sasuke shook his head. “You can’t know that.”

“…This isn’t working,” Naruto sighed. “We’re heading to the same old direction again. I should leave.”

The smirk that quirked Sasuke’s lips was unexpected. In a mere second, the feral aura that had calmed over the past minutes returned, forcing Naruto to take a step back unconsciously. “Coward.”

“You should widen your vocabulary, Sasuke,” he retaliated. It was funny to say it, because it was always Sasuke who told him that, but at the moment he couldn’t come up with something better. He looked in the mirror and fixed his hair by moving a couple of strands to look unaffected.

“Leave already,” Sasuke nearly growled. “Go the fuck away. Stay away from me. I’m sure it won’t be that difficult since you hate me so much.”

This time, Naruto wasn’t able to fend off the guilt.

“Why are you still standing here?!” At that point, Sasuke was shaking.

“Because I’m sorry!” Naruto yelled.

Sasuke wildly shook his head. “I’m done listening to you.”

With that, Sasuke stormed off, bumping Naruto’s shoulder hard enough to bruise before slamming the door behind him.

. . .

Naruto had taken a few moments to cool himself down. He’d thought his rage toward the whole situation had dimmed, but his encounter with Sasuke had been nothing but awful, which had stirred the coals inside and had caused a new fire to break out.

It was stronger. It burned so bright that Naruto almost lost his mind and tried finding Sasuke again to confront him once more, but thankfully, a couple of screws in his head were still tight and he settled with taking deep breaths.

Kiba was already waiting in the car. Naruto hadn’t let his friend know about his intentions when he had left without announcement, but there was a reason he called Kiba his best friend.

He shut the door behind himself and buckled his seatbelt.

Kiba gave him a worried glance. “I take it didn’t go well?”

“It went  _ fucking perfect _ , Kiba,” Naruto deadpanned. “Just drive, okay?”

The look on Kiba’s face was enough for Naruto to feel like a complete douchebag. His friend had signed possibly the most important contract in his entire life and here Naruto was, acting like a child and throwing a temper tantrum.

“Sorry, man,” he mumbled with a hoarse tone. “I lost it for a second… I’m so proud of you.”

“I know.” Kiba grinned, his eyes on the road, but Naruto could see the slight melancholy in his friend’s brown orbs. “Itachi said we should go out and celebrate tonight. It’s a tradition.”

Naruto tried relaxing into his seat. “That’s great.”

“I said we can do it some other time. I wanna celebrate with you guys tonight!” He tapped the driving wheel with his pale fingers that had a couple of red scratches on them. “You’ll be there, right?”

“...I don’t think so.”

Kiba huffed. “Why?”

“You know I’m happy for you man, and forgive me for being so out of it, but I don’t feel like celebrating anything,” he explained, looking out the window, trying to distract himself with counting black cars. “I have so much shit to do. I haven’t visited Menma yet. I still have to work on your website. Knowing Itachi, you won’t have a living best friend anymore if we can’t finish it in time.”

“I’ve asked so many favors from you that I can’t object anymore. But don’t worry about Menma,” he assured. “I checked on him this morning. He’s doing awesome. Shino really knows what he’s doing.”

“Thanks, Kiba.” Naruto breathed out. “Can you drop me to my place?”

“On one condition. Promise we’ll celebrate together some other time. Just the two of us.”

Naruto hummed. “Will there be candlelight and wine?”

Kiba started to laugh. “Don’t go all gay on me.”

“Fine,” Naruto rubbed the side of his face, not bothering to suppress the small smile adorning his face. “I’ll be there.”

* * *

Sasuke unlocked his office with shaking hands, mentally cursing himself for locking it without a reason in the first place. It was only Naruto who could get him to respond like this, and Sasuke resented himself for that. Naruto hadn’t even tried riling him up. His presence was enough for Sasuke to shut down all switches in his brain and step into a frenzied whirlpool of emotions.

He needed a cigarette.

“Karin!” He called out, his voice cracking in an embarrassing way. He knew Karin didn’t smoke, but his boyfriend most certainly did. The enticing smell that hit Sasuke’s nostrils whenever Karin entered the room was not something he could miss.

The red-haired female appeared seconds later.

“Get me a cigarette from Suigetsu. Tell him I’ll buy him a new pack.”

Without a word, Karin hurried away only to be back in a minute with two cigarettes. She pressed her lips together in nervousness as she carefully handed them over to Sasuke. “He said he’d give you the second one in advance.”

“Hn,” Sasuke snatched them away, opening the bottom drawer of his desk to get his old lighter. “Get out and close the door.”

The terrified look on Karin’s face blanketed the curious twinkle in her eyes, and she did as she was told without even daring to question why Sasuke was smoking inside of the building.

He used the remains of his sanity to open the window before lighting up, and inhaling from the cancer stick between his lips deeply.

Oh, how he’d missed this.

The gray smoke left his mouth, and Sasuke watched it with narrowed eyes like a predator before taking in another puff, then another until the butt burned out, then he put it on the windowsill and lit the other one.

Lost in the sweet haze of smoking, he didn’t realize when Itachi came in, despite the fact that his brother had bothered showing the courtesy of knocking.

“I see you’re not coping well.”

Sasuke nearly growled. “Fuck off.”

“Smoking again? And inside your office?”

Instead of answering, Sasuke placed the cigarette he held with his fingers between his lips.

“You need help.” Itachi sounded dead serious. He walked over to the window, glared at the cigarette - he knew better than to get his hands on it and face Sasuke’s fury. “This is not acceptable. I’ll send someone over tomorrow. You’re going to quit it for good.”

Sasuke was itching to say something. He wanted to curse, start throwing his fists around until they met Itachi’s flawless face.

But he knew he couldn’t be  _ that  _ pathetic.

“Fine.”

“Come to the celebration tonight. Inuzuka won’t be there. He wanted to celebrate with his friends, so we postponed the traditional sake drinking.”

He pushed the cigarette down next to the other one to make sure it had burned out, and threw the butts in his trash can before pouring some water over them to make sure he wouldn’t cause a fire.

He took a sip from the uncapped bottle. “I’ll be there, Itachi.”

“Good.” The older man placed some papers on Sasuke’s desk. Sasuke hadn’t noticed Itachi had been holding them.

“What are these?”

“I don’t want to waste any time. Neji showed these to me this morning. We don’t have to follow the exact procedure, but he has some useful ideas. You better take a look at it,” Itachi suggested, then took a whiff of the smell lingering in the room as he wrinkled his nose in disgust and a hint of disappointment. “Sorry you had to go through that. I never thought Inuzuka would ask Uzumaki to come.”

“It’s fine.”

Sasuke knew that Itachi didn’t know about their not-so-pleasant encounter in the bathrooms from the way he spoke. Normally, Sasuke would be surprised, because Itachi knew everything and saying that wasn’t an overstatement, but right then he was grateful. He wanted to take care of his problem with Naruto on his own, without Itachi meddling.

Problem was, he didn’t know how. He hadn’t let Naruto speak or explain himself much - he had a good reason not to - but he could figure out what Naruto wanted. His personality wasn’t made to make enemies of people. He tended to make effort to be at least on speaking terms with them. But he’d never been one of  _ them _ , Sasuke and Naruto had always had a relationship separate from the norm.

The only thing Sasuke found acceptable about this was that Naruto didn’t do this for beneficial reasons. He genuinely didn’t like having enemies, but he also was sensitive about certain topics and definitely didn’t tolerate wickedness in people.

Which gave Sasuke another thing to ponder. What would happen if he actually took the olive branch Naruto had ineffectively tried shoving in his hands today?

Before becoming an item, they hadn’t gotten along. Yet, Sasuke was sure there would be no solid base for a relationship without a proper friendship. Maybe that’s what they’d gotten wrong the last time. And their relationship had lasted for years despite that, so he had no doubts they could get along really well if they wanted to. 

Being horny teenagers with their heads up in his asses, they had let unresolved sexual tension get in the way of a close relation for years back then, but they were both grown-ups now. They could do this.

The only question was, did Sasuke really want to do it? After all he’d suffered, he had no reason to risk his well-being again.

He spent a good minute focusing on the question, and realized Itachi had taken a seat, probably quite a while ago. As he walked behind his desk to sit down too, he noticed the papers Itachi had dropped earlier, and suddenly he needed an answer for another question.

“Itachi,” he called out, trying to keep his voice as smooth as possible, and free of any suspicion. “Why did Neji do this again? You didn’t ask him to, did you?”

Itachi crossed his legs and propped his arm on the desktop. “No. Maybe I should give him a raise.”

Sasuke’s brows knitted together as his eyes skeptically roamed over the printed papers. He was an above average judge of men, and he didn’t have a suspicion that Neji’s intentions were against Uchihas. It was quite the opposite, really. He often found himself admiring the dedication Neji had for his job, but this was… almost trying too hard.

“Anyway, I expect you to be there on time. The usual place, seven o’clock. And try not to look too stressed,” Itachi said, then leaned forward and touched the crease between Sasuke’s brows, massaging it softly with his index finger.

Sasuke slapped Itachi’s hand away, feeling his head pound with the sudden movement. “…I’ll be there.”

* * *

Naruto downed the chilled coffee, standing by his laptop on the kitchen table. He’d spent an hour in his own apartment, but he’d run out of his will to be creative in only half an hour, so he’d driven to his parents’ house with the excuse to see Menma.

Like Kiba had said, they had taken care of his cat like he was their own. The happy (and healthy) cat had jumped him the moment he’d entered the door, and Naruto had hugged him with the same enthusiasm.

The way Menma was trying to coax him into playing now was not very nice. Every time a small paw started pushing down the laptop screen, Naruto glared at him and fixed it. To be fair, he had done a lot since he’d sat down at the table, though he still had more to do. He called Sai on Skype, and pretended not to be shocked when he saw Ino was with him. They went over everything and as Naruto stood up to get himself another cup of coffee, Sai went silent.

“I accompanied Kiba as he signed the contract today,” he told them. “I’m officially the best friend of a possibly very rich man.”

“That’s great to hear!” Ino cheered. Her shriek faltered toward the end. “Wait. Isn’t the contract with—“

“Yeah, yeah. I know what you’re both thinking.” Naruto sat down again.

Sai looked up from the other laptop with raised brows. “What am I thinking?”

“Okay, maybe not you. Ino, just so you know, I’ll end the call if you start acting like an interrogator.”

Ino pouted, her lip gloss shining brightly. She put a hand around Sai’s shoulder, momentarily startling him. “I’m just curious.”

“I know. So, I’m not gonna tell you the whole thing. I’m sure Sai would kill to hear the details, but anyway,” he chuckled at the blank expression on the pale man’s face. “The meeting went well. Kiba signed it, then… I went away to look for Sasuke.”

He deliberately left out the part where Sasuke had stormed off in the middle of the meeting. Nobody needed to know that. He knew how frustrating things could get, and he didn’t think Sasuke weak for getting overwhelmed.

Sai looked up. “Why?”

“Well, I wanted to make things right with him,” Naruto breathed out, then sipped his coffee. It was too strong, so he stood up again to get some sugar. “It’s not like we have to be enemies. And Kiba’s my best friend. They’ll be in contact all the time, which means I’ll probably have to face Sasuke from time to time.”

“Makes sense.”

Ino chimed in. “What happened though?”

“Umm. He got… mad?” He awkwardly laughed.

“Of course he did. Did you really expect him to react differently?”

Naruto didn’t answer.

“You might be hoping for this to be easy, but it won’t be,” Ino calmly stated. “The way you two broke up was  _ not  _ pretty.” Her blue eyes were shining with understanding, and her tone was soft. Naruto appreciated how she tried to make sure Naruto didn’t get hurt any more than he already was. “Sasuke’s a hard guy, but he’s not impossible. You’ve managed to break through his walls once. You can do it again.”

Naruto straightened up and beamed at her with confidence. “Right?”

Ino shook her head. “You’re an idiot, Naruto. You’re missing the important point.”

“And what is that, Ino?” Sai asked.

Ino patted Sai’s shoulder, smiling at the clueless man before looking back at Naruto. “Sasuke is hurt. He will not let you in easily. Perhaps ever. It depends on what his current thoughts and feelings are about you. If you ask me--”

“He didn’t ask you.”

“Shut up, Sai,” Ino scolded with affection. “Ugh. So like I said, if you ask me, he thinks you’re a jerk for breaking up with him that way.”

Naruto picked up the spoon he’d stirred the coffee with to stop himself from fidgeting. Menma chose that moment to try closing the laptop again, and this time, Naruto cursed out loud and removed the cat from the table, putting him in his lap. Menma nuzzled Naruto’s stomach through his shirt.

“He said something like that too, but I had to try.”

“I know, Naruto.” Ino nodded. “But you have to try seeing his side too.”

“Enough chit-chat, Ino. We need to work.”

Naruto sniggered. “Looks like your boyfriend doesn’t want you gossipin’ with me.”

Sai blinked, then chewed on the back of his pencil. “We’re not dating, Naruto.”

“I know,” he breathed out, suddenly feeling not so entertained by Ino’s expression. “Anyway. He’s right. We should get back to work.”

A new voice interrupted their conversation. “It’s like Sai’s the team captain. You should give up the position.”

Naruto turned in his seat. “Mom! How dare you say that? I’m your son! You’re supposed to be on my side.”

Ino giggled as Naruto started bickering with his mom. “Naruto, I’m hanging up. Hi, Mrs. Uzumaki.”

“Hi, Ino,” Kushina waved. “Hi, Sai. You’re as talkative as ever.”

Sai didn’t even bother looking up this time. “Mrs. Uzumaki.”

The call ended, and Naruto put Menma back on the table and stood up to do some stretching.

“What were you guys talking about?” Kushina asked as she opened the fridge door, trying to sound as casual as possible.

“Hmm. Kiba’s contract.”

Naruto decided to save Kushina from a freak-out session by not telling the rest.

“Oh, right! Where’s he?” The woman grinned, taking milk out. “I’ll make him a cake.”

Naruto started running a hand through Menma’s fur. “They’re away to celebrate.”

Kushina frowned at this. “Why aren’t you with them?”

“I have work to do.”

She put the milk back in the fridge, appearing to be thinking about something. Her eyes were fixed on the countertop.

“Mom?” Naruto reluctantly mumbled. It wasn’t often that he saw his mother so deep in thought. She usually hid her serious ponderings quite well, covering up the worries by grins and an exaggerated attitude. It was no wonder where Naruto picked up that attitude from.

Kushina sighed, cocking her head to see Naruto’s face. “Hm?” A small smile was gracing her lips.

“Nothing. You spaced out for a moment.” He tentatively strolled toward her. “You okay? Do you have a headache?”

“Nah. I’m great.” She suddenly drew Naruto into a hug, which Naruto returned without thinking. “Visit my salon sometime. I’m gonna dye your hair again.”

“I will if I have time. I’ll bring Sakura along too. She wanted to get hair treatment or something.” He breathed in the scent of his mother, feeling it relax his whole body. It reminded him of his childhood when everything was fine and he only worried about his toys or the stupid raven-haired boy in his class. The latter was still a problem, but in an entirely different context. “Your dress looks awesome on you.”

“Really?” Kushina chuckled. “I’m glad you think so. Minato bought it for me. He can be romantic when he wants to.”

“Mm.”

Naruto’s phone started to ring, interrupting their little moment. Kushina immediately turned around and raised her hands to her face and wiped her eyes the moment Naruto pulled back, which was a bit confusing, but he hurried to answer the phone. “Hello?”

_ “Hey, Naruto,” _ a deep voice filled his ear. _ “It’s Gaara.” _

“Gaara, eh?” He took a seat, trying not to roll his eyes when Menma stopped faking sleep and crawled into his lap. “What do I owe the pleasure to?”

_ “I just wanted to hear your voice... You sound stressed.” _

“I’ve been busy all day. It doesn’t come as a surprise.”

_ “Are you busy now?” _

Naruto checked the time. “No. I took a break from work, but I’m not necessarily busy.”

_ “Does that mean you have time to meet up?” _

“Umm. Is it urgent?”

Gaara hummed.  _ “No. I just thought maybe you’d want to relieve some of that stress.” _

“O-oh. That kind of meet-up.” He looked back, feeling better when he saw that his mother wasn’t in the kitchen anymore. “Alright. Why not?”

_ “Great. I’ll text you the address. I hope you’re okay with drinking first. There’s a bartender I know. He’s good at it.” _

“Yeah. Sure.” Naruto flashed a smile at no one in particular. “Can’t wait to see you.”

He could swear that he felt Gaara smirk.  _ “Me too.” _

…

The bar was crowded. Naruto took off his jacket and sat on one of the stools since all booths seemed occupied, and said no to the bartender who asked him if he wanted anything to drink.

As he waited for Gaara to show up, he replied to texts from Kiba, then one from Shikamaru. Thinking about his past few weeks, maybe he really should give up on being the team captain along with the title of Kiba’s best friend. He had a feeling that he’d started to suck at both.

“Hello there.”

The distant sound of talking suppressed the voice, making Naruto unable to hear the owner, and he just assumed it was Gaara.

He was wrong.

Gaara was twice this guy’s size. His smooth chest showed, thanks to the lack of buttons on his black shirt, and he had a smile on his face. The guy was almost cute.

“Hi?” He said, trying not to squirm in his seat.

“Can I buy you a drink?”

Naruto checked his phone again. Gaara had said he’d be there in 10 when Naruto had first come here, but he was still nowhere in sight.

It’s not like he was dating Gaara. A drink wouldn’t kill anyone.

“Uh, sure,” he let his lips pull up.

“Great!”

Naruto watched the man - he was fairly sure he was older than 20 despite how young he looked - eagerly talk to the bartender. His skin was a bit tanned, and it nicely matched with his caramel colored hair. As he glanced at Naruto once more, Naruto noted his eyes were a deep chocolate brown.

He really was cute.

His phone buzzed, interrupting his examining.

_ ‘Something came up. Give me 15 more minutes.’ _

At least Gaara had the decency to let him know. He searched the area with his eyes to find the guy again. He was sitting in a booth Naruto was pretty sure had been occupied a minute ago, and waving at Naruto sweetly.

Hopping off the stool, Naruto made his way to the booth and sat down across the guy.

“I’m Noboru, by the way.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Naruto nodded. “I’m Naruto.”

He gave an enthusiastic clap. “Your hair looks great, Naruto! I love red haired guys.”

“Um, thanks?” He raised a brow. Maybe Noboru had some sort of social anxiety. The grin on his face was too big, and his voice sounded prone to cracking.

“So? Try it,” Noboru slid the glass on the table for Naruto to take. “I love this recipe. It’s called  _ drink me _ .”

Naruto eyed the pink liquid in the glass, feeling confused. “That’s a very...  _ creative  _ name. Did you name it yourself?”

“Yes! Try it!”

He took a tentative sip. As he’d expected, it was sweet. Not consuming sugary things for a long time had apparently caused a change in his palate, but he found the taste to be tolerable.

“Is it good?”

Naruto nodded, flashing a polite grin. “Yeah. I like it.”

He downed the rest, tapping a finger on his phone under the table. He watched people around for a while, though Noboru’s gaze as he sucked his own drink from the straw was distracting. He checked the time again. It had been more than 15 minutes.

“Thanks for the drink,” he spoke. “I gotta go, though. I’ve been waiting for someone and I think he’s not gonna show up.”

“What about me?” Noboru pouted. Naruto found himself gawking at how adorable it looked. Noboru’s lower lip was plump, and his cheeks were blushed. “I hoped we could talk for a while.”

How could Naruto say no to those puppy eyes?

“Uh. Sure. I guess we can talk.”

“Your eyes are so blue,” Noboru said with twinkling eyes. “They are like an ocean. I could stare at them all day.”

Despite himself, Naruto chuckled. “Well, thanks. You’re flattering me.”

And the compliments continued. Naruto felt his mind relax, and his face was growing hotter by the minute. At some point, Noboru had left his own seat to sit next to Naruto, but Naruto didn’t remember when.

“Hmm,” he chuckled for no reason. “You have freckles.”

“‘Course I do,” Noboru replied. “Wanna touch them?”

Naruto giggled. “Yes.”

He ran his fingers over Noboru’s cheek, then his nose and other cheek.

“It doesn’t feel any different. But they look cute. Hey, I want freckles too! Wait, it’s too hot. I’ll take off my jacket.” He tried unzipping it, only to realize he already had his jacket off. The giggles intensified. “Oops.”

* * *

Sasuke mentally thanked Kiba once more for not accepting to have the traditional celebration tonight. They always had sake during those, and he needed something much stronger.

It had started when he’d promoted from bored to terribly bored. He’d watched the foams on the surface of his rum before drinking them, then he’d listened to the conversation going on between Neji, Karin and one of the guys from the marketing department. He’d exchanged glances with Itachi twice, then he’d asked everybody if they wanted more beer, since that’s what the others were having.

As he’d waited for the bartender to finish serving others, he’d seen the short guy on his right drop a pill inside one of the glasses he had. To not act on a whim, he’d decided to keep tabs on him just in case. Hopefully, it was for himself. Perhaps he was crazy enough to like taking pills with alcohol.

Of course, it had turned out to be wishful thinking.

At first, he’d had trouble believing his eyes when the guy had made a crowded booth empty with only a few words. He’d kept watching as the guy had carefully placed the drinks on the table. He’d evaded a few questions from Karin and drunk the beer poured into his glass with a scowl.

Sasuke didn’t believe in destiny, but when he’d seen Naruto sit down across the creepy guy, he’d looked up and offered all the profanities he knew to whatever gods that were watching him from above with ugly chuckles and wine glasses in hands.

He hadn’t been ready to see Naruto. Not after all that had happened on their encounter earlier that day, but he couldn’t stop himself from watching for the life of him.

He’d had a pretty good reason.

And now, he was sipping the whiskey he’d gotten a minute ago. Naruto had drunk all of his glass, of course he had. He was an idiot as always. He trusted people too much. But Sasuke couldn’t just stand up and proclaim to have seen the guy slip a pill into his drink. Why would Naruto trust him?

He watched Naruto touch the guy’s face and giggle. His face was flushed, and Sasuke saw him open his legs wider and fan himself with his hands.

The other guy slowly put one hand on Naruto’s thigh and wrapped the other one around his waist, and that’s when Sasuke lost it.

He was barely registering Itachi’s voice as he surged forward toward Naruto’s table. He knew the chibi bastard wasn’t as coy as he made himself seem to be. Who knew what he was planning to do with Naruto? Sasuke absolutely could not let that happen. Their personal problems weren’t important when Naruto’s health or maybe even life was at stake.

“You.”

Brown eyes met black.

“Let go of him right fucking now.”

“Who are you?”

Naruto groaned like he had trouble looking up, but as Sasuke kept shooting daggers at the culprit, he managed to cock his head to regard Sasuke. “What are you doing here?”

The usual blue of Naruto’s eyes was gone, replaced by a lighter, brighter shade. His orbs were considerably wider.

“Shut up, Naruto. You’re coming with me.”

“He’s not coming with you.”

Sasuke gritted his teeth. He had to lie, even if it was a dangerous one. “I am his boyfriend.”

“No. He doesn’t have a boyfriend.” The guy smirked.

Clenching his fists, Sasuke looked back. Itachi was watching him with narrowed eyes. The others seemed unaware except for Neji.

He took a deep breath and leaned forward to whisper in Naruto’s ear. This was his only shot. He hoped the idiot would do one wise thing in his life and listen to him. “ _ Tell him I’m your boyfriend. _ ”

Naruto visibly shuddered, his lips parting, and he darted out his pink tongue to lick them. His cheeks resembled the color of his hair. “He’s... my boyfriend.”

“No, not to me. To him,” Sasuke pointed at the guy.

Naruto turned in his seat. “He’s my boyfriend.”

“Great.” He harshly grabbed Naruto’s wrist, yanking him up. He put an arm around Naruto’s shoulders to help keep him balanced, and with slow steps, walked them to Itachi’s side, who was standing up.

“What’s going on here?”

“That guy drugged him,” Sasuke growled. “He’s... fucking… I don’t know. He’s not himself.”

Naruto nodded, eyes glazed. “Take me to Menma. I wanna kiss him.”

The look on Itachi’s face only increased the dose of panic Sasuke felt. “Take him home, Sasuke.”

“I don’t know where he lives.”

“I’ll find out and send it to your phone. Get him out of here  _ now _ .”

Sasuke was in no state to object. He could barely hold Naruto, who was trying to escape his grip. Taking a deep breath, he led them to the doors.


	9. Run or Hide?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'sup? This chapter is not beta-ed. I wanted to proofread it twice but having a short attention span, hating proofreading and having a fever made it impossible and I gave up after the first page. If there are any mistakes, just ignore them for the time being... my beta will eventually get to it.
> 
> If you're interested, my friend Reo wants to start making commissions. She draws super cute chibis, so I recommend checking it out. Here's the link: http://tomato-x-ramen.tumblr.com/post/165332302384/help-me-pay-for-my-vet-bills-just-simple-chibis
> 
> Enjoy the chapter and please review!

As they walked out of the bar, Naruto giggled, moaned, mumbled unintelligible things and practically did everything he could to drive Sasuke insane. Sasuke was more than relieved when they reached his car.

The feeling vanished rapidly when he realized he was also intoxicated, even if he could hold his liquor better than most people he knew. He could still clearly think, but he wouldn’t drive like that and risk both their lives.

So, he retreated his hand from the door handle and hailed a cab. He seated Naruto before getting in himself. He had no idea how Itachi was going to find the address. Kiba and Naruto’s other friends were probably celebrating Kiba’s success (why wasn’t Naruto with them anyway?) and Sasuke didn’t think Itachi would disturb Naruto’s co-workers with this. His brother didn’t like meddling his own private life with work and wouldn’t do that to Naruto. He couldn’t ask Naruto’s parents even if he had their numbers. They would freak out, and hearing that Sasuke was with Naruto probably wouldn’t end up being good for Sasuke’s health. Kushina could be a little too overprotective sometimes. 

But it didn’t really matter. Upon hearing his phone go off in his pocket, he pulled it out and read the address. It wasn’t very far from the spot they were on.

“You’re not my boyfriend.”

Sasuke harshly turned his head to glare at Naruto. “Thank fuck, no. I must be out of my mind to have dated a moron like you.”

“Mmm.” Naruto didn’t seem to notice how irritated Sasuke was. “It’s hot in here.”

A pale hand stopped Naruto from taking off his shirt by a not-so-friendly smack. He took the window on Naruto’s side down. “Don’t.”

However, Naruto was restless in his seat. He constantly moved his legs in an annoying manner. “Noboru was cute.”

“He fucking drugged you!” Sasuke yelled, suddenly losing his temper. He ignored the confused glance in the rearview mirror coming from the driver. “You impossible idiot. Why do you drink things strangers give you? Five-year-olds know you shouldn’t!”

Naruto giggled. “He was flirtin’ with me.”

Sasuke used all his willpower to not stop the car and beat Naruto to death. At this rate, he wasn’t even sure why he was helping at all. He couldn’t let Naruto be raped or killed or whatever the son of a bitch had been planning to do with him, but getting inside the cab Naruto was in? He really must be out of his mind.

On a whim, he told the driver to take them to a hospital. Just thinking about what would happen if he actually took Naruto to his house was enough to give him an urge to throw up. Naruto was drugged. He could do anything, and Sasuke couldn’t blame him for them, except for putting himself in this situation. Even if Naruto stayed completely calm, Sasuke could lose it. Saving him from danger was one thing. Taking care of him while they were alone was another.

“Not that way, S’suke,” Naruto growled. “Make him turn riiight.  _ Riiight _ .”

“I’ll punch you  _ right  _ in the middle of your face if you don’t keep your mouth shut.”

From what he remembered, it was nearly the norm for Naruto to protest Sasuke, but he really did keep quiet after that, possibly intimidated by Sasuke’s tone and how genuinely angry he was. They rode in silence, only listening to the wind blowing into the car.

Sasuke decided to keep the explanation brief when they reached the hospital parking lot. “I’ll leave your address to one of the nurses so you can go home by a taxi after they take care of you.”

“I don’t feel well.”

“Have you been listening to me at all?”

“...’m sorry.”

Naruto’s cheeks were still red, but Sasuke doubted it was from the drugs or the alcohol. Naruto was embarrassed. There were things even being high couldn’t cover up. Getting scolded by his ex after being drugged was probably one of them.

Sasuke nodded. It had been such a long time since he’d last seen Naruto like this. Defenceless, almost vulnerable. He wasn’t trying to protect himself, he wasn’t evading the situation by laughing it off. He was being  _ honest _ , and even though Sasuke was still all mixed up from the things that had happened that day, he managed to acknowledge the fact that he appreciated Naruto’s apology.

“Go.”

To be honest, Sasuke wasn’t sure if Naruto could walk on his own. He seemed relatively sober compared to when they’d first left the bar, but the effects of whatever drug that’d been slipped into his drink might not be as short termed as Sasuke hoped.

And Naruto proved that by losing his footing the moment he stepped out of the car. Sasuke let out a sigh, cursing himself for not letting the idiot be. Helping Naruto was certainly not his responsibility. He considered it as the good deed of the day. Not that he did much of those.

After paying the driver and getting out to pick Naruto up from the ground, he helped him walk, trying not to flinch at the close proximity. He hadn’t thought much about it in the bar, his brain had been too busy panicking over somebody getting drugged in front of him. But the way Naruto clung to his arm for support wasn’t something he could overlook when he was no longer alarmed.

Still, he said nothing. Whether it was the alcohol he’d consumed or the numbness in his brain caused by an overload of emotions, Sasuke couldn’t bring himself to push Naruto off. 

“Sas’ke,” Naruto hoarsely called out, tugging on the sleeve of Sasuke’s jacket. “M’gonna throw up.”

“No!” Sasuke argued, pushing the door to get inside the ER room. “Hold up. We’re almost there.”

Naruto merely nodded. Sasuke could swear Naruto’s face had a green shade to it. He quickly made Naruto sit down and walked over to the reception.

Fortunately, Sasuke knew everything he needed to know, a benefit of having lived with Naruto for years. He was vaguely aware of his phone vibrating inside his pocket, but all he wanted to do was to fill the form that had been given to him, make sure Naruto was in safe hands and get the hell out of there.

He glanced at the idiot to make sure he wasn’t puking all over the floor. Naruto’s face was back to its reddish color, and he had beads of sweat on his forehead.

Once more, Sasuke lowered his eyes to the paper, trying to keep his mind preoccupied.

. . .

About half an hour later, Sasuke was in a taxi again, on his way toward his apartment. As they got farther away from the city center, he felt the heavy feeling in his chest grow. He had never felt so fucking muddled in his entire life. Not like this, and worse of all, he had no idea how to get out of the mess. He did not know anyone to give him advice either. The only person he could think of telling about his state of mind was Itachi, and much to his dismay, Itachi didn’t know shit about relationships.

Then, his phone was buzzing again, and he answered the call this time without checking who it was. He didn’t need to. Speak of the devil.

“Sasuke? Where are you?”

“In a cab.”

“Where is Naruto?”

Sasuke sighed. “At the hospital.”

“I see,” Itachi mumbled. “Are you alright?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? I’m not the one who’s drugged.”

Itachi didn’t reply.

“I’m tired. If that’s all I’m hanging up.”

“Yeah. Good night.”

Itachi hung up for him, saving Sasuke from the trouble. His head was spinning slightly, and he leaned it against the window, watching the familiar neighborhood in the dark.

It took a couple of minutes for Sasuke to pay for the ride and enter the building. He didn’t want to wait for the elevator, so he took the stairs, hearing his own footsteps echo and make his head pound.

There was a silhouette waiting in front of his door. “I thought you would never come.”

“What are you doing here?” Sasuke demanded an answer, his tone harsh.

Neji didn’t seem to mind it. “Brought you something to drink. Figured you’d like company.” He raised his hand to show the shopping bag he held.

“Hn.” He unlocked the door with habitual efficiency. His brain was so tired that he couldn’t even determine whether he wanted company or not, so he didn’t say anything when Neji followed him inside and toed off his shoes. Besides, he had booze. The beers in the fridge wouldn’t be enough for tonight.

“Does Itachi know you’re here?” Sasuke tiredly asked as he placed his keys in the key bowl, his hand disobeying his command to not lift the glass object up to reveal the paper underneath.

Neji walked into the kitchen, making himself at home. “I don’t think so.”

“Why are you really here, Neji?” He picked the note up and fisted his hand, making it crumple into a ball, and put it in the bowl to throw away later. He’d forgotten its existence, really. Until today.

“Like I said, to keep you company,” the other man yelled from the kitchen. A moment later he pushed the door with his shoulder and came back to the living room with drinks in hands. “You’re an important person for the company. If you need to vent, you should do it or it’ll affect your work performance.”

“Are you sure that’s the only reason?” He took the glass Neji gave him and slumped into the armchair. “Why do you even care about the company so much?”

“Good question,” Neji said, looking around the room before taking a seat. “Let’s just say it’s very important to me.”

“Yeah. That explains a lot.”

He took a long swig from his drink, feeling it burn his throat. He was startled when he felt something nudge his socked foot.

“Is that the cat Itachi-san gave you?”

“Hn.”

He put the glass down to pick up the cat and gently cradled him in his arms. “Is there a particular reason why you add honorifics when talking about Itachi and not when talking to me?”

Neji’s brows furrowed.

“I’m asking out of curiosity,” Sasuke said, feeling the stress in his body disappear from his fingertips, which he used to caress Busu. “I’m always in Itachi’s shadow. Everybody calls him Itachi-san and respect him while I’m the younger brother who’s just… there. Very few people acknowledge the work I do.”

“That’s not true at all.” Neji placed his drink next to Sasuke’s and reached forward to take the cat from Sasuke’s lap. “Everybody knows and acknowledges your efforts.”

Sasuke softly chuckled, watching Busu try to escape from Neji’s grasp. Unlike Menma, Busu didn’t claw them. “You’re a good liar.”

“I’m not--”

Neji was cut off by Busu, who started licking his hand, coating it with saliva. Only then Neji let go of him, and both men watched as the cat stretched happily in Sasuke’s lap as if he hadn’t done anything wrong.

“Like I said,” Neji mumbled after taking another sip from his drink. “You assume people think that because you’re inside your office all day. Don’t get me wrong, Sasuke. It’s not my place to tell you this, but,” he sighed. “You’re isolating yourself from others. Especially lately. You shouldn’t do that.”

The hand scratching Busu’s chin paused.

“Some people are perfectly fine with living alone. I know that. I was like that until I started working for Itachi-san… But is it really what you want? To be alone?”

Instead of commenting, Sasuke pressed his lips tightly together. His day had been bad enough as it was. He didn’t need to hear a lecture.

Neji raked a hand through his hair, which was untied and cascaded down his shoulders. “He made sure the others weren’t aware of what’s going on. I think Karin saw you walking away, but they were too busy talking to notice. Kinda drunk too.”

“Hn.” Sasuke didn’t care if his co-workers saw him with his ex. He had nothing to be ashamed of, he was only helping, and even if he wasn’t, it was none of their business. But he had to admit, not being seen was the best way to tone down the gossip around his workplace.

Neji pointed at Sasuke’s empty glass. “You want another one?”

Sasuke shrugged.

This time, Neji came back with the entire bottle and poured them another round. Busu was gently kneading Sasuke’s thighs. Sasuke wasn’t sure what Busu did when he wasn’t home, but he figured he napped a lot, so it was only natural he wanted to play. His timing was awful, though, so all Sasuke could offer was a soft pat on the head.

Neji cleared his throat, brushing the fabric of the sofa as he leaned back. “Sorry about Naruto.”

“Don’t be,” Sasuke deadpanned, showing no emotions on his face. “He was careless. He deserved it.”

“Not about that.”

Sasuke crossed his legs at his ankle, giving Busu discomfort as he did. The cat ended up curling into a ball in Sasuke’s lap. “Then about what?”

The pale eyes of the man before him were filled with nervousness. “I’ve overheard you and Naruto after the meeting.”

_ “What?” _

He was surprised at how calmly he took it.

Neji joined his hands together on his lap. “I was passing through. I recognized your voices.”

“And you stopped to listen?”

“No,” Neji shook his head. “I walked away. But like I said, I overheard  _ some  _ things.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I want to help you.”

Sasuke snorted. “I don’t need your help. This isn’t something that concerns you anyway.”

“Sas--”

“ _ Neji _ . Let’s drop the subject and talk about you for a while.” He dropped Busu back into the seat as he stood. “You don’t happen to have any cigarettes with you, do you?”

“No.” Neji watched him walk to the window. “I thought you quitted?”

“Hn. I feel like smoking.”

“I don’t think your brother would appreciate that.”

Sasuke pulled the curtain to the side to look out the window. “You and Itachi are really close.”

“I wouldn’t say so,” Neji murmured.

“Why?” Sasuke let go of the curtain and pivoted on his heel, his back facing the window. “You’re in his office during work hours. You’re in his office after work hours. The only thing you two don’t do together is sharing a house.”

Neji tensed. “We work when we’re together, not eat popcorn and gossip.”

Sasuke wanted to smirk, but his deflated mood didn’t allow him to. He settled for a twitch of the lips. “I have you all figured out, you know. You’re no saint. You can stop trying to hide it.”

“Pardon?” Neji glowered, but to Sasuke, it looked like a sulk.

“It’s almost cute how bad you got it for Itachi,” he muttered, leaning back against the window and folding his arms. “You really thought I wouldn’t notice?”

For a brief moment, Neji looked completely ready to deny whatever accusations were thrown his way about this, but when Sasuke raised a brow, he closed his eyes and let out a shuddering sigh, accepting his fate. “I hoped you wouldn’t.”

“How long?”

Neji shrugged. “I don’t even know anymore.”

“God,” Sasuke rubbed his face with his hands. “All this time. I gotta admit, you hid it well. I would never know if you hadn’t lost control lately and started going out of your way to impress him. Even coming here is actually something you do for him, isn’t it?”

“Not really. I genuinely care about the company,” Neji claimed. “And you.”

“Yeah. Probably.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, where the glasses rested when he had them on. “Are you planning on telling him?”

“Blunt as ever. But… no. Not that I don’t want to. Things could get ugly if I did.”

Sasuke nodded and sat down again, letting Busu, who had moved to the side to let Sasuke sit, climb into his lap. The cat had been with him for such a short amount of time, but he felt deeply connected to it for some reason, and saying the feeling was mutual wouldn’t be a lie considering how much Busu sought physical affection from Sasuke.

Perhaps it was the lack of souls in his life that had pushed Sasuke into this situation. He rarely let someone touch his heart - Neji had a point when he’d said Sasuke isolated himself from society. That’s what he’d always done and he’d never needed many people. He had his mother, even though they didn’t see each other much anymore, and Sasuke kept the atypical phone calls brief. He couldn’t help but still feel angry at her for not arguing against his father when Fugaku had lost it  _ that  _ night. Things had never been the same ever since.

Sasuke rarely thought about fixing his relationship with his dad. Itachi often advised him to do it, and Sasuke slammed the door in his face each time. It wasn’t a matter of thinking his father would kick him out of the house if he visited them. He simply didn’t feel the need to do it. His father didn’t provide for him anymore, they weren’t living in the same house and to be brutally honest, the trust Sasuke had for his father had decreased immensely after the man had lost himself when he’d heard Sasuke was gay - why did he care so much about it anyway?

Would he care if Itachi was gay? He was the perfect son. What would happen if Itachi was the one who’d come out?

However, these questions were irrelevant and difficult to answer when his system was filled with alcohol and stress. He knew better than to hold a childish grudge, especially knowing that Fugaku had apologized when he’d come to his senses (which was something Sasuke had thought his father was incapable of), but seeing him would only arouse memories Sasuke wanted to bury. Unless he had a good reason, he wouldn’t go to their house.

He thought about other people in his life. There was Itachi. They had grown up together, they were flesh and blood and even though he would never admit it out loud in a million years, Sasuke loved his brother with all his heart. Itachi was the one who would never look down on him, even if he tried pretending to in order to make Sasuke work harder. Although, that method had stopped working when Sasuke had turned 10 and it was pure irritating now.

But, despite everything, Itachi had always been there for him. He was far from being a perfect brother. They hadn’t even been that close before the break-up, but Sasuke always,  _ always  _ knew he could count on Itachi to care for him. That alone was the proof of the unbreakable bond they had.

He tried thinking of other people. Before everything had started going downhill, he’d had Naruto, that was obvious, and Sasuke was more than fine with having the same person as his best friend and lover. But that had proved to have consequences. Like losing both of them at the same time. He had made Naruto the most important person in his life and getting hurt had been inevitable when he had left.

“What are you thinking about?” Neji blurted out. To Sasuke’s ears, his voice sounded far away.

“Anything,” exclaimed. “And nothing. Tell me Neji, if you’re so willing to help me, what am I supposed to think?”

Neji gave a pained smile. “I assume this is about Naruto.”

“That’s likely.” The glass sitting in front of him was emptied in seconds. “I have no idea why.”

After pouring Sasuke another round, Neji propped his elbow on the arm of the sofa and put his chin in his palm, locking gazes with Busu, who was carefully watching the stranger who’d tried to pet him. 

“It’s simple, Sasuke,” Neji softly said. “Even if only for a moment, you shouldn’t have thought Naruto would be just a stranger on the ground after the breakup. You two were connected on a deep level. That is not something you can easily cut. It’s only natural your thoughts are filled with him... it’s tough luck you had to see him without knowing beforehand.”

Sasuke urged him to continue by nodding.

“But tonight was certainly something you shaped with your own will.”

“What do you mean?” He cocked his head to the side. His head was spinning in the slightest, and he was vaguely aware of Busu’s tail brushing against his abdomen.

“You…” Neji hissed in discomfort, his brows knitted together, showing his effort to concentrate. “How do I put this. You didn’t have to help Naruto.”

Dark eyes squinted. “I wasn’t going to let him get kidnapped.”

Neji folded his arms, staring at the black TV screen. “Obviously. But there were many other options to prevent that from happening, Sasuke. The easiest one that comes to mind is putting him in a cab and sending him to a hospital by himself. Making Itachi do it or calling someone for help is a close second. But you made sure he was alright by going with him. That says something, if you ask me.”

Sasuke remained quiet.

“You still care about him.”

“As a human being, yes. As a friend, lover or whatever the fuck you want to call it, I have absolutely no reason to.”

“If I know you, even if just a tiny bit,” Neji announced. “You would never take a stranger to a hospital.”

Busu meowed, requesting something Sasuke couldn’t even begin to comprehend with the white noise in his head, so he scratched Busu’s chin in an attempt to calm him down.

“Let’s say your theory is accurate.” He bit his lower lip in thought. “What am I supposed to do with it?”

“That is the big question.”

A loud, throaty growl was torn from Sasuke. He shut his eyes tight, trying to block out the world. “I don’t know, Neji. I have no fucking clue.”

For what felt like hours, they sat in silence, occasionally eyeing Busu, who made delighted purrs whenever Sasuke’s hand made contact with him. In the end, though, Sasuke picked him up and lowered him to the ground. Apparently, the cat was fine with it since he walked out of the room, possibly toward Sasuke’s bed.

“He’s changed a lot,” Sasuke murmured, contemplating getting up to drink some water. His throat was going dry. “Even his appearance.”

“Red hair doesn’t look bad on him. A bit unusual perhaps, but I thought he looked nice.”

Sasuke sighed. “Yeah.”

“...He’s still Naruto. No matter how much he’s changed, he’s still the same person.”

Knowing that didn’t help Sasuke gather his thoughts.

“I know I’ve crossed many lines tonight. Still, I want to say this, even though I know you probably won’t heed my words. I’ve always been the silent observer in the office.” He stopped to take a deep breath. “I’ve watched your relationship crumble to pieces with my very own eyes.”

“Stop,” Sasuke hissed, suddenly feeling tears fill his eyes. He lowered his head to hide them.

It was humiliating.

“Let me finish this and I’ll go,” Neji insisted. “Details are very blurry on my side, I only know bits and pieces Itachi-san told me about, but today, I’ve heard you saying that you wanted to fix it.”

“Neji--”

“Naruto won’t leave you alone until you say you forgive him - or that you two are good. That is crystal clear. What confuses you is, the way I see it, you don’t know what you want and you’re scared of Naruto.”

Sasuke frantically shook his head, unable to utter a single damn word. His throat was clogged up.

“He tore whatever trust you had in him to pieces and you can’t even afford being face to face with him... unless he’s vulnerable and can’t harm you. You’re scared of being hurt by him again. And, Sasuke,” Neji stood up, standing merely two steps away from Sasuke. “If he’s still capable of hurting you, doesn’t that mean he’s still--”

With a whimper, Sasuke closed his hands on his face and whispered. “Shut up.”

“Something to think about.” With that, Sasuke heard Neji make his way toward the front door. Just when he thought Neji was about to leave, the other man stopped in his tracks. “Itachi-san wanted me to tell you that you’re not expected in the office tomorrow.”

The door closed behind him, and Sasuke let out a dry sob for the first time in long, long years.

Tears freely slid down his cheeks, pooling under his chin and dropping down to his slacks, wetting the fabric, and Sasuke couldn’t care less about it.

He didn’t make a single sound other than the first sob as he cried. There was something liberating in the way he let the teardrops go. There was no one else in the room other than him, and he had nothing to be embarrassed about. His father’s words resounded in his ears.

_ Boys don’t cry. _

It was alright. He’d cried when he was in high school, just once, and he’d found it degrading. Now, though, it didn’t matter. He wasn’t a boy anymore. He was a man, and men did cry when they were in pain.

He couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason that made him cry. But the more he cried, the scabs in his soul were washed away.

He didn’t flinch when he felt Busu return to his lap. After all, they had a bond between them and hopefully, his cat  _ understood _ .

“We’ll be alright,” he hoarsely murmured, not entirely sure who was the other he referred to. “I’m sure of it.”

* * *

The room was dark as far as Naruto could perceive with his closed eyelids. They felt heavy against his eyeballs, and he made no attempt to open them as he tried to remember where he was.

He failed miserably, and to make sure his sore body was still connected to his soul, he moved his limbs, immediately giving up when the task proved to be difficult..

“You’re finally awake.”

“I’m thirsty,” he announced with a groan.

Not only a second later, a glass of water was dumped on his face.

Naruto sat up and opened his eyes, a bit too fast compared to his usual waking up methods. “What the fuck is wrong with you, man?”

“You. Scared the shit. Out. Of. Me!” Kiba just about roared. “What the fuck is wrong with  _ you _ ? Do you have any idea what I’ve been through because you’re an imbecile?”

“Whoa. Calm down,” Naruto rubbed at his eyes. As he sobered up gradually, he realized he wasn’t wearing anything. No - he checked under the covers with his hands. He had his boxers on, and realizing that made him feel somewhat better. At least he hadn’t slept with Kiba… which was a good thing considering his friend was straight as an arrow. 

He repeated what Kiba had just said in his head again.  _ Scared?  _

Kiba surged forward, crawling onto Naruto’s bed, and punched Naruto’s shoulder. “I will not calm down. Tell me, Mr. Genius, why the fuck did you think drinking something a creepy stranger offered you was a good idea? Did you even keep an eye on him as he bought the drinks? Are you a fucking underaged teenager who’d sell his ass for some alcohol?”

“What? I don’t remember anything!” Naruto denied as he rubbed at his shoulder. “Stop pestering me! I don’t know anything!”

With a sigh, Kiba moved back so he could see Naruto’s face. Naruto took the opportunity to look at Kiba himself. His friend had dark bags under his bloodshot eyes, and he looked utterly stressed, even though his face betrayed his relief that Naruto had woken up.

“We started drinking. I got a call from your number. The voice wasn’t yours, my boozed brain could comprehend that, but I thought it was a prank. Then the guy threatened me, and the next thing I know, I was in the hospital staring at the IV in your arm. You were unconscious.”

Naruto bit his lip. “Fuck.”

“The guy said he had to go and I should take you home. So I did and I’ve been waiting for you to wake up ever since.”

Naruto took a deep breath, then looked up. “Wait. What guy?”

“I don’t know. Haven’t seen him before. Maybe he’s working at the hospital.”

“What did he look like?” Naruto inquired.

“Uh. Red hair, I guess? I remember ‘cause I thought it looked like yours. Pale skin. He looked pissed. I wonder how he knew he should call me. Your emergency contact is your dad, isn’t it?”

“Gaara,” Naruto mumbled. What was Gaara doing there? How did he even know Naruto was in the hospital?

Kiba raised a brow. “Pardon?”

“He’s…” He held Kiba’s gaze. This man before him didn’t deserve to be lied to. “Well. I guess he’s my fuckbuddy or something like that.”

“...Oh.”

They stayed quiet. Naruto assessed the band-aid on his arm. He reached for his phone that stood on his nightstand and quickly punched in the code for the screen lock and checked his recent calls, ignoring the numbers on the top of the screen that read 6:23 am.

_ Gaara _ .

There were a few texts too. He skimmed over them. The more he read, the more he remembered. They were supposed to meet at the bar, and while waiting for Gaara to show up, Naruto had accepted to drink with a strange guy - he couldn’t remember the name for the life of him.

Kiba fidgeted in discomfort. “You could’ve told me, you know. About this Gaara. And that you didn’t have work and just wanted to get laid.”

Naruto sighed, straightening his sitting posture. “It’s not like that. I really did have work. I did most of it before… well, Gaara invited me to the bar.”

“You can say no to your best buddy and not to your  _ fuckbuddy _ ,” Kiba murmured. He sounded seriously hurt by all this. He ran a frustrated hand through his brown, unkempt hair. “I’m gonna head home to get some sleep if you’re okay.”

“Kiba… I’m sorry.” Naruto placed a hand on Kiba’s arm. “I’m a shitty friend.”

“Yes, you are.” He played with the hem of his shirt. “I owe you so much already, so I’ll let this one slip.”

Naruto smiled. “Thanks. Are you free on Sunday?”

“Yep. Why?” Kiba stood up, turning away from Naruto.

“I thought maybe we could go out?”

“Don’t say maybe, Naruto. Grow a pair and say  _ ‘We’re going out on Sunday, no excuses’ _ .”

Naruto chuckled. “Kiba. We’re going out on Sunday, no excuses.”

“That’s more like it.” He tossed a grin. “And, asshole, I’m glad you’re okay. I’ll kill you with my own hands if you ever get drugged again.”

Naruto watched Kiba leave with a small smile on his face. The moment his friend was out of the door, the expression faded and he reached for his phone again with furrowed brows. 

Someone had explanations to make.


	10. Berserk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd.

Naruto used the free time he had until Gaara’s arrival thoroughly. He showered, snacked on an apple (he'd half-hoped Kiba to leave him something to eat, but that would be too much to ask) and put his clothes from last night into the washer. They reeked of alcohol and sweat… and the yellow stain on the front could be puke. He decided he didn't want to know.

He was ashamed of putting himself in that situation and worrying Kiba for no reason. It was safe to say the others knew too, since Kiba shared everything with Shino and Hinata. After Naruto had moved away from the neighborhood and their bonds loosened, Kiba and Hinata had stuck together. And they were close with Shino too. 

He didn't remember last night much. The bits after he'd walked into the bar were blurry. The more he thought about why he'd failed to notice the guy slipping a pill into his drink, the more confused he got. Normally, he wouldn't accept drinks from strangers - especially considering he was waiting on someone. It was just rude. Maybe the person was really attractive? Still didn't explain much. Naruto wasn't looking for a date nor a one-night stand.

He hoped he had been talkative as ever when he was high. If he had told something,  _ anything _ , he could hear the story from Gaara.

A knock was heard, and Naruto gave his hair a comb with his hand before opening it. His guest sent him a stern look.

“You look awful.”

“Good to see you too, Gaara,” Naruto sarcastically said, gesturing for the man to come in as he stepped to the side. The heavy smell of cigarettes filled the air. Naruto scrunched his nose in disgust and a hint of nostalgia, and he definitely didn't need any of  _ that _ at the moment. Not when his brain was barely able to comprehend things.

“I can imagine why you asked me here.” Gaara’s voice came deep from his throat. “I took care of it.”

Naruto stilled after his hand reached out to the handle to shut the door. “What?”

“The issue with your stalker.”

“I don't have a stalker!” Naruto denied and started walking to his small, cozy living room. The half of the couch pillow was occupied by him shortly. 

“Noboru didn't quite show his true intentions, then. He likes to believe that he’s a piranha.”

“Who the fuck is N--” He stopped himself. The name did ring some bells. Unpleasant ones at that. 

“The son of a bitch that drugged you.” Gaara reached for the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a cigarette pack. 

“You can't smoke here.” 

Gaara rolled his eyes, putting the pack back to its place after taking a single one out. He casually placed it between his thin lips, but didn't light it up.

Naruto drew his knees to his chest. He still felt a little dizzy, and he didn't really know where to begin asking questions, so he went with the first one that came to mind. “How do you know Noboru?”

“He was at the bar.”

“That doesn't answer my question.” Naruto tried to add a dangerous edge to his voice. “How do you know him?”

The other man narrowed his eyes, pacing around the room and eyeing the walls. “He's a...  _ colleague _ of mine.”

Naruto sharply inhaled. Why would a colleague do that? Was it because he had problems with Gaara or did he simply enjoy fucking people up? What was Gaara’s occupation anyway? He felt stupid for not knowing it. 

He gave a tired sigh. He didn’t know much about Gaara, a fact he realized when he thought about it. There had been some kind of attraction – one that Naruto couldn’t name, because he’d never had sex with someone without having intense feelings for them before. But that was it. 

On the other hand, Gaara knew lots of things about him. He wondered how much the man really knew. He hadn’t told them, but Gaara had a gift for observing people Naruto couldn’t deny. 

But, Naruto didn’t, so he intended to learn them by asking.

“Colleague, huh?” He crossed his legs, his eyes sharp and wide, watching every step Gaara took like a predator. “I remember you telling me something about having a business with Sasori-senpai. You never told me what it is.”

Gaara gave something that resembled a sneer and held the cigarette between his fingers. “It’s not your concern.”

“It is if your fucking colleague drugs me!” 

“ _ Naruto _ . Trust me, you wouldn’t want to know.” 

That wasn’t up to Gaara to decide, Naruto was certain of that. Whatever it was, Gaara was trying to hide it or at least prolonging the revelation. 

“Let me ask you this, then. Why did he do it? What are his  _ true intentions _ ? You said you took care of it. How?”

“Don’t worry, I didn’t kill him,” Gaara smirked, putting the cigarette on the coffee table and sitting next to Naruto. “Noboru is a clever little shit. He knew how to catch your attention, and he did, apparently.”    
“Why?”   
The smirk disappeared, and Gaara’s lips twitched in annoyance. “Because he’s a fucking sadist, that’s why. He knows of our relationship.”   
Naruto snorted. “He enjoys drugging innocent people because they sleep with someone he knows? What the fuck is wrong with him? I will call the police, Gaara. This isn’t funny.”   
Calmly, Gaara placed his hand on Naruto’s knee, his fingers splayed, softly caressing Naruto’s skin through his cotton pajama pants. “I’m afraid I can’t let you do that. I made sure he wouldn’t pull a stunt like that again, so don’t worry.”   
“Don’t make me repeat myself,” he said with a threatening tone. “Why?”    
Despite what had happened last night, Naruto wasn’t entirely stupid. He could understand that if Gaara didn’t want him to call the police, there was something stinky going on that involved Gaara.    
The pale hand moved to his thigh, still moving soothingly. Naruto bore his gaze into it, assessing its actions. For a moment, he considered slapping it away, but in the end, he didn’t remove it. He could feel his skin burn under the touch. He didn’t need to stop him – this was what they did with Gaara. He needed answers, but he could hear them after taking care of the swelling flesh between his legs.   
“I trust you with this, Naruto, so I’m going to tell you. Our business isn’t something the police would allow, therefore, you can’t give Noboru away.”   
As the hand moved to his crotch, Naruto felt himself stiffen in a mix of excitement and fear. These guys were doing something illegal. Gaara seemed like a nice guy, but then again, he had a dark side Naruto was trying so hard to ignore all this time.   
“What exactly does this… job of yours entail?”    
Gaara gave Naruto’s groin a squeeze, watching the way Naruto’s hips flexed on their own, and the beads of sweat on his tanned forehead. Some parts of the faded red locks were starting to stick to his face.    
Naruto was confused. He was with a man who did illegal things, was probably infamous for being dangerous – and someone Naruto should stay away. But here he was, touching him, making him feel this good with those skillful hands of his. Naruto was surprised at himself for getting aroused this quick. He vaguely remembered feeling this way last night. The drug still hadn’t completely worn off.   
When Gaara gave him another pump, Naruto hummed in approval. Gaara leaned in for a kiss, which Naruto hesitantly accepted. As their lips melded against each other, Naruto felt his blood boil. All thoughts about how wrong it was to be with this guy were wiped away by his raging hormones. Instead, he broke the kiss and got rid of his shirt. He felt too hot to have it on still.   


* * *

Neji had said  _ you aren’t expected in the office _ , not  _ you can’t come to the office, _ so after cleaning around the apartment, taking a long bath with Busu sitting on the toilet lid to watch him and walking around a nearby park for some fresh air, he’d grown sick of not having any work to do. He was not dressed in a suit; the casual jeans and sweater he wore would show Itachi that he wasn’t there for work and (hopefully) would save him from a lecture about overworking himself - like Itachi was the one to talk. Having a brother with damned double standards was tough.

He was glad to find his car in the parking lot of his apartment complex. Itachi had probably made someone drive it here, and Sasuke surely wasn’t going to complain. 

For the first time in forever, he actually turned on the radio as he drove. The soft music playing in the background helped him focus instead of distracting him, which usually wasn’t the case, but Sasuke was strangely calm enough to not think too hard about it. He blamed the bath bomb he’d found somewhere in the bathroom cupboards.

Out of the blue, he decided to buy Neji coffee for being an average companion last night. In his scale, average was the top complementary rating, so Neji definitely deserved a coffee. He walked into Starbuck’s, trying to remember what Neji usually had.

Turns out he had no idea. 

So, he went with Espresso. The strong smell of coffee in the shop was more than tempting, and he ordered a cup for himself, then one for Itachi. 

By the time he was leaving the shop, he had a cartoon bag full of coffee cups. He’d ended up getting one for everyone he knew - which wasn’t that many, and the realization hit him hard. He was a CEO of the company and he didn’t know most of his workers. 

Perhaps Neji was right. He was isolating himself a bit too much. 

When he walked out of the elevator, he felt gazes on him. He was fairly sure there weren’t many in the company that had seen him out of a suit before, much less with jeans, so it wasn’t really shocking, but it still felt uncomfortable. He wasn’t afraid of being looked at. But he didn’t enjoy weirded out glances.

He headed straight to Itachi’s office. Of course, Neji was there, working alongside Itachi and wearing a perfectly neutral expression on his pale face. Sasuke bit his lip to stop himself from commenting. 

“Hello, brother,” Itachi spoke, his eyes on the computer. “I wasn’t expecting you here today.”

Sasuke put the bag on the desk, pushing out a few folders out of the way in the process. “I brought you coffee.”

“That’s… very thoughtful of you.” Itachi did look up this time, assessing Sasuke and trying to find his motives with his eyes. 

Neji and Sasuke shared glances. 

“I had nothing to do,” Sasuke simply answered Itachi’s unasked question, reaching for the bag to fetch two cups. “Actually, I got coffee for a couple more people. If you’ll excuse me.”

He could swear Itachi’s mouth was slightly parted as he left the room.

However, when he came back from his visit to Kisame on the marketing department’s floor, he was glad to find Itachi and Neji happily sipping their coffees and not working for once. They worked more than he did and still called Sasuke a work addict. 

“Ah, Sasuke,” Neji put his cup on Itachi’s desk and folded his arms over his chest. “Thanks for the coffee.”

Itachi nodded, then smirked. “I hope you didn’t slip something into it.”

Sasuke’s brow visibly twitched and his hands balled into fists. “ _ Asshole _ . Be grateful that you’re my brother or else I’d be skinning you alive at this very moment.”

“Bold,” Itachi noted. “But I bet you won’t be so when I break the news.”

Sasuke took a seat. “What news?”

“I have two. Good news is, the celebration is next Friday. You’ll get to drink to your heart’s content.”

“I don’t want to drink anything,” Sasuke stated, frowning. 

“Maybe it wasn’t good news after all.”

With a snort, Sasuke motioned for him to continue.

“Bad news is,” Itachi leaned back. “Father’s going to attend to the event. I don't think of it as a horrible idea, but I don’t know about you.”

“Why?” Sasuke blurted out. He hadn’t expected this. “How do you know? Is it certain?”

“He called earlier this morning to ask how it went with Inuzuka,” Itachi explained, watching Neji silently leave the room from the corner of his eye. “He sounded serious when he said he wanted to drink with us.”

“I see,” Sasuke muttered, playing with the hem of his sweater. Not attending was simply out of question, so he just needed some time to get used to the idea of being in the same environment with his father. 

Itachi impatiently tapped his fingers on the desk. “How’d it go with Naruto last night?”

“Jesus, give me a breather,” Sasuke complained. “I made sure he was being taken care of at the hospital.”

“Good.”

“I thought Neji would tell you. He tells you everything, doesn’t he?” Sasuke forced a smile.

Itachi looked confused. “How would Neji know? Did he call you last night? I told him to text you about not coming to work.”

“He--” Sasuke cut himself off. If Neji hadn’t told Itachi, he probably had a good reason. Also, it meant that Neji hadn’t come over just for Itachi’s attention. Knowing that made Sasuke feel… content. Neji honestly cared about him. “Yeah,” he lied. “He said he wanted to make sure I was alright.”

“How nice of him,” Itachi gave a small, but genuine small.

“It is,” Sasuke approved. “He’s a good person.”

“Are you sure you didn’t slip something into my drink and accidentally drink it yourself?”

“Let it go already, ‘Tachi,” Sasuke said through his teeth.

“I’m messing with you, little brother,” Itachi chuckled. “But,” his lips curled down intensely. “Don’t think I’m making fun of Naruto. This is serious business. Anything could’ve happened to him.”

Sasuke ignored the pang in his chest at the thought of Naruto getting hurt, raped - maybe  _ murdered _ . “I sadly couldn’t see the guy. He fled as I watched you and Naruto leave.”

“Son of a bitch,” Sasuke hissed. “I’ll make sure he won’t be able to lay his hands on anybody ever again if I see him.”

“Hmm,” Itachi hummed. “So… have you talked with Naruto?”

Sasuke arched a questioning brow. “About?”

It was fun to watch Itachi almost fidget in his seat. He looked away for a second, then cleared his throat. “I thought it was obvious.”

“Well, it depends. We did talk about some things. But we don’t have a lot to talk about in my opinion.”

“So you’re saying that the past is in the past?”

“Not exactly,” Sasuke shook his head. “There are things meant to be remembered.”

Itachi’s brows knitted together in uncertainty. “What did he say, Sasuke?”

Sasuke wrapped his fingers around the bottle of water on Itachi’s desk and moved it back and forth on the wooden surface. “He wants to, I quote,  _ make sure we’re good _ .”

Itachi fingered his bangs to the side to earn himself time, but ended up sighing. “I don’t know what to say.”

“It’s alright.”

“...You don’t seem angry,” Itachi commented, watching Sasuke’s shoulders to sense if the muscles were tense. “I expected you to be.”

“I was.”

“Not anymore?”

Sasuke shrugged, deciding to be honest with his brother. Even lying or dodging the questions sounded tiring to him. “I guess I’m just emotionally exhausted.”

Itachi slowly nodded. “I’ve talked to someone about your nicotine addiction.”

There was a silence, Itachi waiting for Sasuke to deny the accusation, and Sasuke waiting for Itachi to realize he wasn't going to do it.

“She has a small therapy group.”

“You’re out of your mind if you think you can force me into that, but go on,” Sasuke said.

“Right. I’m not forcing you into it, per say. If you want to quit for good, you go. At least visit her once. See if you can do it.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Sasuke. You’re a grown man. Do as you please. I’m just trying to help,” Itachi answered.

Well, that was new. Sasuke let go of the bottle and stood up. “Text me the address.”

“We’re doing that a lot lately,” Itachi smiled. “I’m glad you’re taking up on the offer.”

Sasuke took a deep breath. “I have nothing to do today anyway. Might as well try it.”

He walked out of Itachi’s office, looking to his right to see Neji sitting at his desk, staring at the door. His eyes widened in the slightest when he saw Sasuke.

“Hello,” Sasuke waved his hand. 

Taken aback by Sasuke’s friendly demeanor, Neji froze for a moment. 

Sasuke approached to him. “If you’re scared of me telling Itachi something, you don’t need to be.”

“No,” Neji said. “I was just worried you’d… get upset by the conversation going on.”

“I don’t get why you’re so worried about me,” Sasuke mumbled, looking away.

“You’d know if you had talked to me before. I work here for years. We haven’t even had a proper conversation before last night,” Neji retorted. 

“I guess,” Sasuke leaned against the wall by Neji’s desk. “By the way, thanks for keeping me company. I didn’t realize I could use some.”

“You’re welcome.”

“So…” Sasuke pressed his lips together, unsure about how to make small talk. “...What’s up?”

Neji gave an amused chuckle. “I’m trying to arrange a place for the celebration on Friday.”

“Good.” 

“Do you feel like giving me a hand?”

Sasuke knew that Neji didn’t need any help at all. Itachi had chosen a really good secretary - it wouldn’t be an overstatement to say Neji was his right hand man. Still, he was asking if Sasuke wanted to help. Sasuke was the second CEO. But Neji managed to approach to him as a friend rather than his boss while keeping the distance needed. 

“I actually have somewhere I need to go,” Sasuke said. “But I’m in no hurry.”

“Great to hear that,” Neji nodded and gestured to the chair next to his own - the one Karin sat in when she was bored all the time.  

* * *

 

Naruto inhaled, trying to even out his breathing pattern. His whole body was covered in sweat and drops of cum.

“That was nice,” Gaara commented hoarsely, reaching out to the nightstand to grab paper towels. 

“Yeah,” Naruto agreed, watching Gaara wipe his stomach and throw the dirty towels into the trash can Naruto had placed by the bed to get rid of condoms. “It was.”

Gaara normally didn’t stay after sex, so pillow talk was a concept Naruto had grown away from. It felt too intimate to be doing with someone he barely knew… Yet, he couldn’t ask Gaara to leave or at least move to the living room to finish the talk they had started. 

So, he went with the first thing that came to his mind. “Thanks for last night, by the way. For saving my ass.”

“Hm?” Gaara rolled to his side. “You don’t need to thank me. It was one phone call. Your friend’s an idiot, by the way.”

“Not for calling Kiba. For getting me away from Noboru,” Naruto mumbled. 

“I didn’t do it.”

Naruto made a face. “What do you mean you didn’t do it?” 

With a moan, Gaara sat up. “You were gone by the time I arrived at the bar. I asked a couple of people around. They said you left with a black haired dude.”

“I don’t remember someone like that,” Naruto said, clenching the sheets in his sweaty hands. 

“Whoever it was, he must have left you at the hospital. The nurses didn’t know who he was.”

“How did you know I was at the hospital though?” Naruto inquired, bewildered. 

“Trust me, it took me some time to find out.” Gaara rubbed his chin with his fingers. “Noboru likes to play around for fun, but he doesn’t hide what he does. After I left the bar when I couldn’t see you there, he found me and told me about it.”

“Shit,” Naruto growled. “What the fuck is wrong with him?”

“After that, he’s got a giant bruise on his left cheek for starters,” Gaara smirked. 

Naruto shook his head in disgust. “You think a punch is gonna solve this?”

“You’re unharmed, Naruto. All I can do for now is to keep you that way.”

“What if the guy that got me out of the bar was a psycho too? This isn’t a joke, Gaara - fuck!”

The sudden pounding in his head cut him off. 

“That might be an aftereffect of the drug he used on you,” Gaara mused, his voice devoid of any emotions.

Naruto snorted. “ _ Great.” _

“Takes some time to clear up entirely from the body.”

“It’s like you made the drug yourself,” Naruto commented.

Gaara didn’t say anything in return.

“Although I won’t be surprised if you did. Protecting assholes, staying away from the police. God, what have I gotten myself into?”

The sheets rustled as Gaara got closer to Naruto and put his hand on Naruto’s bare shoulder, leaning down to look him in the eye. “You’re not involved in any of those.”

Naruto watched Gaara’s stoic face. There was a hint of emotions in those jade green eyes of him, barely visible. 

The smile Gaara offered was genuine, understanding. “You’ve never done anything illegal, have you?” 

“I haven’t,” Naruto replied, gripping the wrist reaching to brush his hair out of his face. “These… this isn’t me.”

“I know,” Gaara muttered and pulled his arm away. Their legs brushed against each other. “Maybe Noboru wanted to corrupt you because you’re too pure.”

“I doubt that’s accurate,” Naruto softly laughed. Gaara laid down next to him, and this time it was Naruto who changed his position to see the other’s face. “I’ve done things I regret. I’ve hurt people.”

“That’s nothing compared to what we do.”

“It still counts,” a whispering voice said. “I… I think I’m turning into a bad person day by day.”

Gaara didn’t deny. He simply encouraged Naruto to go on. “What makes you think that?”

“I’m neglecting my friend, my family, my job. Even my cat. I’m… I don’t even know what I’m doing anymore.” He put an arm over his eyes to block out the early morning light. 

“There must be a reason,” Gaara stated. “If you can’t fix it by willing, then there’s something holding you back from doing it.”

Naruto moaned in pain. The headache felt like it was gradually getting worse.

“Do you remember what I said when we first met?” Gaara asked.

“Which one?” 

“That I can’t read all of you. And I’m pretty damned good at reading people as you’ve noticed.”

Naruto’s lips quirked downward. “Your point?”

“You have secrets. Things you haven’t told me.” 

A hand removed Naruto’s arm from his face, and Gaara leaned down to plant a short, tender kiss on Naruto’s lips. “All I can offer you is sex.” 

Naruto quietly watched Gaara as he spoke. 

“I’m not emotionally invested in this, and I know you are not either.. But… I think I would like you to be happy. Smiling suits you.”

Despite everything going on, Naruto smiled in response. Moments like this made him feel vulnerable, but he trusted Gaara. He had no reason to, really, but Gaara had always been brutally honest, even when admitting he was running an illegal, underground business. 

“Thank you,” he whispered, feeling Gaara’s skin against his and trying to find comfort in it. Perhaps it didn’t make him feel completely safe and home, but it was better than being miserable and alone.

“Naruto.” Gaara’s tone was gentle, but dead serious. “You can’t tell anyone about what I do.”

“Thought so,” Naruto remarked. “I have no interest in it.”

“And don’t let Sasori know you’re aware.”

“Ah, right. Sasori-senpai’s in this too, isn’t he?” He was disappointed. Sasori had always been the person he’d looked up to in high school. “I forgot about that.”

“It’s like you have a crush on him,” Gaara teased, the lines by his eyes deepening in mirth. 

“I swear it’s platonic!” Naruto faintly kicked Gaara’s shin. “He seemed like a good role model back then. Although Sasuke never liked him,” he mumbled.

Gaara made an attentive sound. “Who?”

It was an odd feeling to realize Gaara didn’t know about Sasuke. This wasn’t something he could read or understand unless Naruto told him about it. It was… relieving. He was fine with telling, but there could be parts of the story he wanted to keep to himself.

“He’s my ex,” Naruto said with a smile he hoped didn’t look fake. “We broke up about a year ago.”

“Why?”

Naruto hummed, a sign that he was thinking. “We didn’t really get along toward the end, I guess.” One of his fingers was tracing lines on the sheets.

“You knew him since high school?”

“Yeah.”

Gaara raised a brow. “You’re not really into telling me about him, are you?”

“It’s just… I don’t know if I should,” Naruto explained, looking down, then looked up again because staring at Gaara’s junk wasn’t really an appealing thought when he was thinking about Sasuke. 

“You look like you want to, though.”

“I mean, I’m not against it.” He stretched the muscles on his back and sat up, noticing his pajama pants hanging from the edge of the bed, and he reached out to them and pulled them on. “I’m gonna get some water and painkillers.”

Gaara followed him out of the room in his boxers, leaning against the wall and watching Naruto wash his hands in the kitchen. “You look like you're in pain when you speak of him.”

Naruto downed a glass of water along with a pill. 

Walking back to the bedroom, Naruto yanked the sheets out of the bed and put them on the floor to wash later. He was exhausted. Gaara had apparently started to think Naruto was not going to tell, because he was not asking anymore.

“I’ve seen him yesterday,” Naruto suddenly spoke, breaking the heavy silence. He couldn’t see the other man, but he could swear that he heard a nearly inaudible gasp. 

This time, Gaara didn’t try to probe. He watched Naruto open a drawer to get new sheets. When he did, Gaara snatched them away and started placing them on the mattress.

Not being asked anything helped Naruto clear his mind about whether he wanted to tell Gaara or not. 

His head was spinning a bit, so he sat down on the nightstand beside the bed and closed his eyes. 

“Kiba signed a contract with Uchiha Corps. You know them, right?”

“Of course. Every person living in Japan probably has,” Gaara replied.

Naruto chewed on his lower lip in anxiety. If Gaara trusted Naruto with telling him about his job, Naruto was going to trust Gaara with this. Besides, he didn’t think Gaara would dare to mess with one of the greatest companies in the country.

“Sasuke is the younger one of the two brothers running it.”

“I didn’t know it was run by brothers. But my field of work is a bit different, so I wouldn’t know,” Gaara mused. He put the pillows back to their places and helped Naruto up. They laid down again.

“‘S fine. Sasuke isn’t as popular as Itachi. He doesn’t particularly enjoy being in the spotlight.”

“I see.”

“So, Kiba asked me to come with him since he has practically no idea about how contracts work, and I said yes, because he’s my best friend,” he breathed out. “Seeing Sasuke was inevitable and I knew it. But I did it anyway.”

Gaara connected his hands beneath his head. “Was this the first time you saw him after you two broke up?”

Naruto swallowed. “Yeah.”

“I imagine it must have been difficult.”

“It was,” Naruto agreed. “I was the one who broke up with him. I thought it was a mutual decision, that he wanted to break up with me and just didn’t have the balls to say it out loud. And I was fine with the thought after the initial pain was gone. Relationships come and go. But… he told me that he had no intention to break up with me yesterday. That he wanted to fix it.”

“So you fucked up.”

Naruto glowered. “I don’t know, okay? I was so fucking confused. I still am. But I was hurt and I couldn’t think straight.”

Gaara put his hand on Naruto’s for support, but Naruto pulled away. Physical contact could be a poison for him as much as it could be a medicine.

“Tell me more about why you broke up.” It was a soft murmur, said with the intention to coax Naruto into telling further. It wasn’t tempting, but Naruto was planning on telling anyway, so he kept going.

“Sasuke isn’t a bad person in his core,” he said. “I’ve been wondering why some people stay in relationships despite being unhappy. Our relationship wasn’t like that. Sasuke and I… we were truly happy, yanno? Of course we had misunderstandings and fights, they were always there. But they were like salt and pepper for us.” 

Naruto’s toes curled. He often remembered the past, but talking about it in detail was still painful.

“Then… something changed. Our fights weren’t like they used to be.”

“Sasuke was aware of this?”

“Yeah,” Naruto answered, his voice thick with emotion. “I think our biggest mistake was trying to handle it our own way. Who knows? Maybe we could’ve come to an understanding if we’d talked about it at first.”

Gaara purred. “How long?”

“I guess for about a year.”

“That’s a very long time to be dealing with a broken relationship,” Gaara commented. 

“I now know that.” 

Before continuing, Naruto took deep breaths. His heart was beating fast in his chest.

“It turned into an almost abusive one in the end. I was trying to find a solution without having another fight. Sasuke was trying to have the inevitable talk or fight or  _ whatever,  _ and leave the problems behind.” He angled his head to see Gaara. “I learned that too late, though.”

“When?”

“When we had our final fight. The day I ended it all. And trust me,” he gave a hysteric chuckle. “It wasn’t pretty. I was under the influence that he wanted to end it - like I said before, because he was acting so different from the usual. I said things I regret now and I can’t take them back.”

His voice trembled toward the end.

Gaara’s expression didn’t falter. “Like what?”

“I--” Naruto covered his face with his hands. “I accused him of cheating on me. I didn’t do it because I thought it was true. I just… did. It was on a whim. A moment of stupidity.”

Gaara frowned. “That’s a pretty fucked up thing to say to someone who’s loyal.”

“You think I don’t know that?!” Naruto uncovered his face and yelled.  “God, I can’t believe I’m losing my temper this easily.”

Gaara put a hand on Naruto’s forehead. “You’re flushed. You have a fever.”

“Just let me fuckin’ sleep ‘till the end of the world,” Naruto cried, letting Gaara lay him down.

“Own up to your shit, Naruto,” Gaara deadpanned, getting to his feet. “I’ll make you tea. This isn’t the drug. You really do have a fever.”

It was like Naruto hadn’t heard it. “Do you want to know what my last words to him?”

Gaara ran a hand through his hair, looking like he wasn’t sure what to say. 

Naruto didn’t wait for verbal approval to continue. “I said I hate you. We dated for seven years and I left him a fucking note as goodbye!” 

It wasn’t difficult to notice the dilation of Gaara’s eyes. “Naruto--”

“I’m not the only one to blame, I know,” he shut his eyes tight, covering his ears and curling into a ball on the bed. 

“Naruto, you need to rest.”

At this point, it was like he was talking to himself. “I’m not going to blame myself for everything. But I have my faults, and God, what would happen if I weren’t handling everything so stupidly?”

He felt the bed dip down, and a moment later, his body was covered by soft blankets. Only then he realized he was shivering. 

There was some talking in the background, but he couldn’t understand anything. Sleep took him over fast.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note, please don't leave a comment about how Gaara is manipulating Naruto and Naruto should end things with him. That's a part of the plot. I KNOW. :)


	11. Whole World Is Watching

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd. 
> 
> It's not 10.10 yet, but it'll be tomorrow so HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BABY BOY <3 I love you. And I wish you all a happy Naruto's birthday! :)
> 
> Please remember to leave a comment!

The ugly headache was nearly gone when Naruto opened his eyes. He mentally thanked his mother for stocking painkillers in a cupboard the last time Naruto had been sick.

The soiled sheets he’d thrown in a corner were gone, and the buzzing of the working washing machine was audible. He leisurely went into the bathroom, left the water on for it to warm up as he took off the sweatpants – he only then realized he’d sweated the fever out, because the fabric was sticking to his legs – and brushed his teeth for a good minute until he deemed them clean enough and spat out the toothpaste.

He kneeled down under the shower spray. Whatever was going on with him, he didn’t like it. It felt like his soul was trapped in a cage, trying to break free, but his body wasn’t listening to it. He ate, slept, occasionally had sex if Gaara was available, worked for a couple of hours until his attention span decided he couldn’t anymore.

This wasn’t Naruto, and he knew it.

He’d always been so much more. He didn’t ditch his friends and family to spend his time in a bar, drinking his ass off, or worse, getting drugged by strangers. He felt weaker than ever and he didn’t have anyone to blame but himself.

He wanted to fix this. He rubbed the minty shampoo into his scalp, feeling the ridiculously hot water burn the sensitized skin of his back and leave a tingling sensation behind.

He left the shower stall, wrapping a fluffy towel around his waist and wiping the floor with an old one. He looked in the mirror to fix his hair and picked a wet lock with two fingers. The red of it  matched the flushed state of his skin.

At that moment, he decided that he was not getting another redye.

He found a sweatshirt and a clean pair of jeans from the top drawer of his dresser, taking his time as he put them on and dried his hair with the towel before hanging it on the back of a chair to dry.

Gaara had left. It wasn’t surprising to see that. He opened and closed the fridge door a couple of times, like food would magically appear, then his stomach decided to growl loudly, bringing Naruto back to reality.

Like there weren’t enough noises around, his phone went off somewhere in the bedroom. He strolled there once more and searched for the device - because he’d apparently made it fall when he’d sat on the nightstand.

The caller was his dad. “Hello?”

“ _ Hi _ ,” Minato’s cheerful voice was heard. “ _ Whatcha doin’ _ ?”

Naruto breathily laughed, letting himself fall into the bed on his back. “What’s with that talking style? Midlife crisis much?”

“ _ Shut up. I’m just bored _ ,” Minato said, faking annoyance. “ _ I’m cooking ramen, by the way. I thought you might wanna come over after you’re done with work _ .” A moment of silence. _ “If you don’t have plans, of course _ .”

“Uh. I’m not working today,” Naruto murmured, absentmindedly picking at his nails. “But I’m super hungry so I’ll take up on the offer.”

“ _ I’m not even going to ask. _ ”

Telling his dad about the unpleasant events of last night - especially on the phone - was a very bad decision, Naruto could tell, so he let it slip. “I’ll be there in about a half hour. Don’t eat my share.”

“ _ As if I would.” _

Naruto felt like sticking out his tongue, but he guessed he was too old for that. “Heh.”

. . .

He’d tried to make himself look as presentable as possible. Yes, he had purple bags under his eyes and his hair looked terrible, but that wasn’t a sight his dad was unfamiliar with.

The door opened only to reveal a very distressed Minato. His eyes landed on Naruto, and his expression rapidly changed into a cheerful one. “I thought you were Kushina for a second,” he breathed out with relief, stepping aside for Naruto to come in. “Not that she would come home at this hour, but the kitchen looks like a nightmare. If she did, my life would be over.”

Naruto closed the door behind himself, a wide grin on his lips. “You’re the one who invited me… But don’t worry. We can clean it up together.”

“You’re a lifesaver, son. I’m proud of myself for raising you so well.”

Following his dad into the kitchen with a snort, Naruto’s pupils dilated slightly upon seeing the kitchen’s state. “Wow. Are you sure you were cooking and not slaying monsters?”

Minato winked at him. “And I used their flesh for ramen.”

“Ew, Dad. Gross. You're supposed to be an  _ adult _ .”

“Sit down,” Minato chuckled, placing two bowls filled with steaming ramen on the round table, which seemed relatively cleaner than the rest of the room.

The remains of Naruto’s patience vaporized when the delicious smell got closer to his nose, and he grabbed the chopsticks, muttering a quiet  _ itadakimasu  _ as he attacked his food, not bothering with waiting for his dad.

“Table manners,” Minato said, shaking his head as he took a seat.

Naruto didn’t speak until he swallowed his bite. “I’m starved.”

“That’s pretty obvious.”

Minato himself was slowly eating, watching Naruto stuff himself like a caveman, but he didn’t comment further. 

“You look sleep deprived,” the older man commented as he brought a spoonful of broth to his mouth.

“I’m not,” Naruto answered in full honesty. “I actually might be sleeping too much lately.”

“Hmm.”

Suddenly, Naruto wasn’t feeling so hungry anymore. He forced himself to eat, but the more he tried, the more he felt like throwing up, so he simply put his chopsticks down.

“The dishwasher broke down last night.”

Naruto looked up. He wasn’t expecting that. “Why?”

“Who knows? I tried fixing it myself a couple of times,” Minato explained. “But I failed. So I’ll call someone as soon as possible.”

“Great,” Naruto said in earnest.

Minato smiled. “Let’s wash these together then.”

Offering a fleeting, distracted nod, Naruto grabbed the dishes and put them on the countertop, emptying his own bowl’s contents into the trash bag. Minato had already filled the basin with warm water, and he dumped some dish soap onto the dark orange sponge.

“You can rinse while I wash.”

Naruto shrugged. “Sure.”

He gathered the dirty pots and pans around, putting them near his dad, and rolled up the sleeves of his gray sweatshirt.   

“So, what’s new in your life?” Minato asked, starting to wash a skillet.

Naruto watched Minato’s skilled hands as they worked and sighed, answering without thinking. “Not much.”

“Lying to your old man. I didn’t teach you  _ that _ .”

“Dad...” Naruto fidgeted, quickly taking hold of a utensil and starting to rinse it.

Minato hummed. “Kiba came over to check up on Menma again this morning. He’s such a thoughtful friend.”

Naruto froze as he placed the skillet on the dish rack.

“I’d rather hear bad things happening in your life from you,” Minato calmly said, but the disappointment in his tone was not lost on Naruto.

“I didn’t wanna worry you,” Naruto said, feeling his face burn with guilt. “Sorry.”

“Kushina doesn’t know yet. But you have to tell her.” Minato put the soapy bowls down for Naruto to take. “The other thing too.”

Biting on his lip, Naruto considered the possibilities. He was sure his dad knew both about last night and the one with Sasuke. There was no escape.

“You know what I’m talking about, Naruto. Don’t try to evade it,” Minato sternly warned. “We’re gonna have a serious talk about these once we’re done with dishes.”

All Naruto could do was to nod. Whatever Minato had to say, he probably deserved it. Having serious conversations wasn’t Minato’s thing. If he was going to do it, that meant he had a good reason to, especially considering Naruto was a fully grown adult. 

They silently finished the deed. Naruto made them tea as Minato cleaned the counters and the table, and when the kitchen looked habitable again, they moved to the living room along with their teacups.

His dad’s silence made Naruto incredibly anxious. Minato’s ice blue eyes were pierced on his son, and he didn’t make a sound other than the occasional sips he took from his drink.

It took Naruto some time to realize it was his cue to start talking.

“Which one should I start from?” He asked, moving his legs up and down.

Minato held Naruto’s gaze. “Neither.” He put his cup on the coffee table. “First, I want you to tell me why you started keeping important things from us. And don’t say you were going to tell. I know you didn’t plan on doing it.”

The carpet had an interesting design.

“You used to tell us everything. What changed?” At this rate, Minato looked upset about this rather than angry. “Kiba told me not to worry about this. Funny thing is, he’s worried as well. We all are.”

“I know,” Naruto muttered.

“Now tell me why.”

Naruto’s anxiety was almost palpable as he took hold of the throw pillow next to him and hugged it to his chest. “I thought I could handle it on my own.”

“You know you don’t have to handle everything by yourself. We’re all here to support you. I don’t need to tell you these.” Minato snatched the pillow away from Naruto and put it on the other end of the sofa. “Do you see what you’re doing to yourself? I want my happy son back. Is it too much to ask?”

“I’m sorry, Dad,” Naruto whispered, feeling emotions swell in his chest.

“Don’t say you’re sorry. Do something about it.”

To not look completely vulnerable, Naruto grabbed his teacup and took a swig. “Did Kiba tell you that I looked for Sasuke so we could talk?”

Minato shook his head. “No.”

“That’s what happened when we went to the Uchiha Corps headquarters.” His voice was gentle and relaxed, although his throat felt tight. “He looked as affected as I did during the meeting. Dad, you know how I can’t let it go when I’m at loggerheads with someone. I had to talk to Sasuke one way or another. And it’s been a year. I thought things would be cooled down by now.”

“I assume Sasuke disagreed?”

“Kind of.” He downed the half of his tea. “He seems so mad about everything. And I can’t really blame him for the way I ended things, that was definitely my fault,” he mused. “But I tried to apologize about it. He wouldn’t budge.”

“I see.”

“So that was it. I’ve talked to Sai and Ino afterward. Ino thinks I can change his mind,” he tossed a smile at his father.

Minato raised his brows, bewildered. “About what?”

“About the way he thinks of me. I’ll try to get him to put his walls down. I want him to forgive me for the parts I’ve done wrong.”

“I get the last part.” Minato put his elbow on top of the back of the couch for support. “But why are you trying to change his mind? What are you trying to do?”

“Huh?”

“I’ll ignore the pain that this has caused you in the past for now and focus on the present. Do you want to be friends with him? What are you trying to do? What’s your purpose?”

“I haven’t really thought about it.” Naruto frowned. “The moment I saw him… I just thought that I should get the relationship I have with Sasuke out of the dirt. I don’t want him to look at me like he wants to kill me.”

“Naruto,” Minato waved his hand to stop him from talking. “You can’t walk into path made of fire without knowing what’s on the other side. Let’s assume you somehow fixed things - and don’t assume I want you to, because I’m not a fan of Sasuke after what happened last year as you can guess. But what you’re doing is irrational. Think ahead. Don’t act on a whim.”

Naruto blankly stared at his father.

“You’ll end up hurting Sasuke and getting hurt in return if you do this. With the past you two have, it’s impossible to maintain a neutral relationship. You’re not saying you want a friendship. You’re not saying you want him back. You’re just saying you want things to be good. In full honesty, that’s a utopia.”

“I…” Naruto stuttered, then gave a defeated sigh, cocked his head and started tugging on his hair in frustration. “God. This is so complicated.”

“It is,” Minato agreed. “Everything comes with a price. You can start telling me about the other thing while you ponder this.”

Naruto groaned. “Do I have to?”

“Preferably.”

“There’s not much to tell, really,” Naruto said. “I was at a bar. I accepted a drink. I was drugged. Some guy took me to the hospital and I ended up waking up in my own house.”

Minato looked like he’d seen a ghost. “Care to elaborate that?”

Naruto huffed. “It wasn’t exactly the best night for me. I don’t remember much anyway. I told you all I know.”

“I understand the hospital part. Thankfully some people still have decency. But who took you home?”

“Kiba.”

Minato looked more confused now if that were possible. “How did Kiba know?”

It was all Naruto could do to stare at his dad as he thought about how to dodge this one. He could be honest and tell him about Gaara, which of course would lead the way to more questions, and Naruto, despite the level of intimacy between them, wasn't comfortable with telling his dad that he had a fuckbuddy.

And the other thing was Minato liked knowing about Naruto’s friends. There wasn't much he could tell about Gaara. Plus, Minato being a retired police officer made everything ten times worse.

Naruto believed in karma. However, he’d been anything but a saint lately, and why his phone went off right at that moment, he couldn’t understand for the life of him.

He excused himself under the inquiring gaze of his father and fled to the kitchen.

“Shikamaru,” he answered the call as he leaned against the counters, feeling the device trying to slip away from his sweaty hands. “What’s up?”

“ _ Naruto, why aren’t you in the office? _ ”

“Am I supposed to be?”

“ _ Please don’t tell me you haven’t checked your emails _ ,” Shikamaru sighed on the other side of the line.

“No, I haven’t,” Naruto admitted. “What’s wrong?”

“ _ We waited for you to show up for twenty minutes. Today’s the day we were supposed to meet up and finalize the website _ .”

“Crap,” Naruto growled.

Shikamaru muttered 'troublesome'.

“You guys can start without me,” he offered, his free hand tugging on the hem of his sweatshirt in anxiety. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to work even if he wanted to. His head was a mess.

“ _ Naruto. Is everything okay? We can’t function here without you-- _ ”

There was a loud sound of the phone being taken away from Shikamaru. Naruto guessed who exactly had done it.

“ _ What are you rambling on about, Uzumaki? _ ” Ino wailed. “ _ Do you have any idea what we’re going through? We all worked our asses off because of this!” _

“I know,” Naruto simply said, his tone carried sadness with a hint of guilt.

There was a pause, and chatter in the background before Ino let out a frustrated puff of air. “ _ Just come here, okay? We’ll figure something out. _ ”

What exactly Ino meant by that, Naruto didn’t know, but he found himself nodding. “Alright.”

As the line went dead, Naruto grabbed a glass to fill with water. His throat was dry with emotion, and he felt helpless. Completely lost.

And this time, he realized he’d dug his own grave. It was only him who could climb out of it.

He downed the cold water he’d filled from the tap and rushed to his father’s side. Minato was still sitting there, in the same position, and the wrinkles on his face had gone deeper in thought.

“I gotta go,” Naruto breathed out while fishing in his pockets for his car keys. “It’s from work.”

“Hm,” Minato tiredly hummed. Just when Naruto turned around to leave, his dad stopped him. “Naruto.”

“Yes?”

Minato leisurely stood up, using his legs as leverage, and put a hand on Naruto’s shoulder. “Visit your mom. She’s concerned.”

Smiling was in vain, because Minato could see through all his fake ones, so Naruto settled for a polite - and hopefully promising - nod.

He left without even seeing Menma once.

. . .

For the nth time, Naruto cursed himself for being so stupid. He’d drove halfway to the office before remembering he needed his laptop (even though his work was unfinished), so he’d come back to the lonely place he called home to fetch it.

He quickly toed off his shoes and practically ran to the living room, ignoring the cigarette on the coffee table as he grabbed his laptop from on top of it and the laptop case from the back of the couch.

Then, he was by the front door once again, tying his shoelaces. He decided to take a last look in the mirror to make sure he looked presentable enough.

His worn jeans looked alright. His sweatshirt could use some ironing, but he didn’t care much, and his hair could be named as a bird’s nest, but that was nothing new.

It was his eyes that caught him off guard.

He blinked once. Twice. The look in his eyes was always the same. In contrast with how great his body looked, his formerly sparkling blue eyes looked dull and hollow, betraying how Naruto felt inside.

“What’s happening to me?” Was the words that left his mouth without him noticing. A tanned hand brushed over one eyelid to make sure it was real, and Naruto pursed his lips in disgust.

He was late for work.

. . .

It wasn’t unpredictable that when Naruto waltzed into the office, everyone was silently working. It was like they had agreed beforehand; none of them asked Naruto any questions about why he looked awful or hadn’t completed his own part of the work. Ino gave him a glance, waited for Naruto to unpack his laptop, and adjusted the set temperature of the air conditioner.

Naruto didn’t know if they were expecting an apology or not, but he certainly owed them one.

“Sorry about all these,” he said, careful not to look at their faces. He was too ashamed for that. “Won’t happen again.”

“It’s fine,” Shikamaru shrugged. “As long as you can promise that.”

Naruto nodded. I’m actually thinking of taking a break.”

“We all need one,” Ino snorted. “You more than any of us, but we all do.”

“I mean, a long one,” Naruto muttered, finally gathering enough courage to face Ino. “You guys can do a few projects without me. I won’t be here for a long while after we’re done with this one.”

Shikamaru turned his seat. “And how do you expect us to do that? We’re a team, Naruto. It’s not possible for us to do these with one missing. You know the importance of teamwork.”

“I’m not much of a help anymore though, am I?” He awkwardly chuckled. “I need to get my shit together.”

“That’s for sure,” Sai agreed. “You look horrifying.”

“Sai! I told you not to say that,” Ino scolded, sitting on the empty side of Sai’s desk.

“To be honest, I think we all have enough money to last a couple of months, and if we need extra, we can do solo side projects like Sai does,” Shikamaru noted. “And I expect Uchiha to pay a crapload for this, so I don’t think any of us would be against a vacation.”

“Are you sure?” Naruto asked, uncertain. “I don’t wanna hold you back.”

Ino huffed. “We already talked this through when you were gone, so shut up and start working.”

Naruto offered an apologetic smile, his hands curled up in his lap. “Thanks, guys.”

Sai and Ino started heatedly discussing something much to Naruto’s surprise, but he tried not to let it distract him. His sixth sense was telling him that Shikamaru’s watchful gaze was on him, yet, he didn’t look to him. It wasn’t until Shikamaru decided to stand up and approach that Naruto tore his gaze from his laptop screen.

“Hey, buddy,” Shikamaru throatily said. “Everything okay?”

“No, but I’ll survive,” Naruto said, running a hand through his hair and tugging on faded red locks in desperation.

“Look, don’t get me wrong, but,” Shikamaru lowered his voice. “Tell me if you need any help. I can talk to Temari and set up a meeting for you.”

“I don’t know, Shika. You think it’ll help?”

“Who knows?” Shikamaru shrugged. “It’s just a suggestion.”

He had nothing to lose at this point.

“Fine,” he approved.

* * *

Sasuke put the grocery bags on the kitchen table and took off his jacket. He had visited the address, and he had been surprised to see that the woman Itachi had told him about was not a person specialized on quitting smoking, but a shrink. At first, he’d been skeptical. Yet, before he knew, he’d agreed to join them next Sunday, he had no idea how, but he had to admit that if she had managed to get him to agree, then she was good at what she did.

Itachi had been happy to hear that. They’d decided to have dinner at Sasuke’s and finalize everything on the products they were going to release. Sasuke figured Neji was going to come too, so he’d bought enough to make a meal for three people.

Before he started cooking, he refilled Busu’s food containers and threw out his litter to replace it. He found Menma’s mouse next to the litter box, and left it in the living room, where Busu was currently napping.

He tried not to think too much about it, but the fact that he was going to see his father on Friday was occupying his mind. He was partially anxious about it. He hadn’t seen Fugaku since he didn’t know when, and couldn’t predict what his reactions would be like to the changes in Sasuke, and vice versa, he didn’t know how his father was like nowadays. It would be a new, and if all goes well, interesting experience for both of them.

Then, there was Naruto. If he was still as unpredictable as Sasuke remembered him to be, he could expect the idiot anytime to the office. Maybe even the house - but considering the unpleasant events that had happened in this very house, he didn’t think so.

What were Naruto’s intentions, Sasuke had no idea. Thinking about it only gave him a headache, and he didn’t need that after having a good day, so he put the topic aside completely and focused on slicing the vegetables.

About 45 minutes later, he heard the doorbell. He washed and dried his hands on the kitchen towel, then made his way to the front door to greet his guests.

“Hello, little brother,” Itachi said, walking inside without waiting for a reply. Neji had courtesy, so he actually waited for Sasuke to invite him in.

Three men took a seat at the kitchen table. The wine Neji had brought was placed in the middle. The food still had nearly 10 minutes to be done.

“Karin was surprised at your gesture,” Neji took the initiative and started the conversation. “She talked nonstop about it after you left. Although I was informed that she would like her coffee without sugar the next time you decide to buy.”

Sasuke folded his arms. “Like there will be a next time.”

“I’m just the messenger.”

Itachi leaned down, baffling Sasuke, and a moment later, he had Busu in his lap.

“I didn’t realize he was here,” Sasuke commented, a gentle smile gracing his lips. “The doorbell must have woken him.”

“Perhaps.” Itachi’s long, slender fingers caressed the soft fur, occasionally lingering on a spot and scratching it.

Sasuke stood up to check on the boiling sukiyaki. It seemed about cooked. He turned off the gas and started setting the table.

“Do you have plans for tomorrow, Sasuke?”

He gave Itachi a glance. “No. Have anything in mind?”

“It’s been a stressful week. I thought we could go fishing or something.”

“Since when do we go fishing?” He skeptically asked.

Itachi laughed. “I’m an old man, Sasuke. I have to learn how to fish before I retire.”

Sasuke slammed the bowl on the table, in front of Itachi. “Very funny.”

“What about you, Neji? Are you up for a weekend activity?” Itachi turned to face the other man.

“I’m afraid I have a family lunch tomorrow,” Neji explained.

Itachi sighed. “It’s just me and my boring brother then.”

“Why are you in such a good mood anyway?” Sasuke croaked, placing Neji’s bowl in front of him, then got his own and sat down.

“I have no reason to be down, that’s why,” Itachi said, happily eating his food with Busu still in his lap. “Business is going well. My brother is finally returning to his less bastard-ish state. What more could I ask for?”

Sasuke sighed, starting to eat as well. After a couple of minutes, he turned to Itachi again. “Don’t you ever wish to have a lover?”

Both Itachi and Neji froze.

“You have lots of people interested in you.”

The kick he received under the table wasn’t something he imagined, and he nearly started laughing out loud at how immature the action was, and how unlikely it was for Neji to do.

“I know,” Itachi simply said. “I’m too busy for that.”

“No, you work more than you have to, so you’re not actually too busy for that.” He got up to grab wine glasses for them.

Itachi seemed grateful as he poured them the red liquid from the bottle and took a sip. “I don’t think I could make the time to meet someone outside of work.”

“Such a lame excuse,” Sasuke murmured.

Neji was innocently eating his food and probably hoping for Sasuke to not say anything to him. Sasuke wasn’t a sadist, though, and Neji hadn't done anything to deserve it, so he spared Neji the torture.

* * *

It was 4:40 when they finished everything. Naruto was, to say the least, proud of his teammates. They had taken care of everything even with Naruto’s lack of responsibility, and this was one of the most important projects of their careers. He’d offered his own paycheck, but they had rejected (except for Sai, who seemed neutral to the idea). In the end, he’d managed to convince them to accept half of it. He didn’t think he deserved the other half either, so he thought about buying them gifts sometime.

He entered his mother’s hair salon, noticing the sign saying ‘closed’. The place hadn’t changed at all since the last time he’d come to get his hair dyed.

“Naruto!” Kushina rushed to his side. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

“Hey, Mom,” he hugged the woman. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”

Kushina ruffled Naruto’s hair. “Good. I was starting to think that you forgot me.”

“How could I?” He grinned. Kushina was wearing a dark purple dress. “Another new dress?”

“Yes!”

“I like it,” Naruto commented.

“Me too,” Kushina smiled. “Sit down. I’m gonna prepare the dye.”

“Actually, there’s no need for that,” Naruto stopped her. “I don’t think I want red hair anymore.”

Kushina brushed a bright red strand of her long hair aside. Hers was natural, and looked fantastic. “I told you. Your lazy ass could never bear the trouble of taking care of it.”

“Hmm. I guess you were right.” He took a look around. “Where’s everyone, by the way?”

“All our appointments were in the morning so the others left, and Shizune has a date. So it’s just me today.”

“I see.”

Kushina walked to one of the chairs for customers and took a seat. “So, why are you really here if you don’t want to get your hair done?”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you,” Naruto sat in the opposite seat. “I called Sakura. She’s coming.”

“That’s great to hear!” Kushina cheered. “I didn’t know you two still talked. You should’ve told me that before, though. I cleaned around and I’m really tired.”

“Aww,” Naruto pouted, knowing how effective it was on his mom. “I’ll help you. She’s really looking forward to coming here.”

“Fine, fine,” Kushina half-complained. “And they didn’t believe me when I said I gave birth to an evil boy.”

“You’re the best mom I’ve ever had,” Naruto said, giggling as he pecked Kushina’s cheek.

Kushina smiled  and slapped Naruto’s arm. “Enough with the jokes. Tell me what you’ve been up to.”

“You know, same old,” was what automatically came out of Naruto’s mouth, but his earlier conversation with his dad was imprinted to his mind, and the faltering of Kushina’s smile was heartbreaking. “Actually, a couple of interesting things happened lately.”

“Oh? Tell me!”

Starting with the least shocking one made sense. “We finished our latest project today, right before I came here.”

Kushina nodded. “That’s great to hear.”

“Umm. First of all, there might be things that I forgot to tell you. Details.” He swallowed, leaning back and trying to relax. “Starting from Kiba’s contract.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Kushina her brows.

“Just listen, okay, Mom?”

Kushina looked bewildered, but nodded nevertheless.

“The contract was with the Uchihas.” He ignored the flash of anger in the eyes before him. “And Kiba needed someone to be there for him. I went with him.”

Both their breathings were getting heavier. Kushina’s from trying to control her anger, and Naruto’s, nervousness.

“I saw Sasuke. Frankly, I went out of my way to look for him so we could talk,” he admitted. “It didn’t end well.”

A few moments later, Kushina took a particularly deep breath and rubbed her temples. “Okay.”

“But it’s alright. I’ll take care of it, so don’t worry.”

“What else?” She tried to change the subject.

“Well, there’s this thing that happened last night. It’s not important now… but it was back then, and--”

Kushina’s brows were knit together as she spoke with a stern voice. “Naruto. Stop waffling and tell me what happened.”

“I was drugged. I'm fine now, though.”

It had happened so sudden that he could swear Kushina stopped breathing. Her eyes were unbelievable wide as her gaze bore into Naruto's orbs.

Naruto didn’t dare to say anything else.

“...What?”

“Someone slipped something in my drink.”

Kushina, however unexpected, did not freak out. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself, then nodded, looking down at the skirt of her dress.

“...Aren’t you mad at me?”

“No,” said Kushina, a little too fast for it to be an honest answer. “Look, Naruto,” she suddenly grabbed for Naruto’s hands. Hers looked smaller next to Naruto’s. “I’ll always worry about you. That will never change. I still have trouble accepting that my baby is a big boy now,” she smiled, her eyes glossy with tears. “But I understand that no matter what I say, you’ll do as you please. Just be careful. That’s all I’m asking. I can’t stand seeing you get hurt.”

Naruto squeezed her hands. “I know.”

A new voice joined them. “Hi. Am I interrupting something?”

“Of course not!” Kushina said with faked glee, standing up. Her former expression was completely gone. “Welcome! It’s a pleasure meeting you!”

Sakura looked completely overwhelmed by the greeting, but she smiled and reached out her hand. “You too.”

“Hi, Sakura,” Naruto made his way to them with lazy steps. “I wasn’t expecting you to come so quickly on a short notice.”

“Oh, I was around the neighborhood. Don’t think even for a second that I would miss the chance to get my hair to be as soft as yours.”

“You’re in safe hands, then.”

Kushina left the two alone, disappearing into the backroom, possibly to get the necessary items. 

Sakura’s smile immediately dropped. “Naruto, what’s going on?”

Naruto turned around to check on the door in case his mother would come back. With a hushed voice he answered. “She’s just worried about me.”

“Why?” A light brow was quirked upward. 

They hadn’t spent much time with Sakura lately, so Naruto could understand why Sakura was clueless about everything going on. Telling her would take at least fifteen minutes, and he didn’t have the luxury of making his mother wait or listen to everything all over again. 

“Let’s not open that can of worms now.” 

Sakura’s lips were pressed together as they watched Kushina enter the room and she offered a reassuring smile.

The red haired woman patted the lilac chair on the very end of the row for Sakura to sit down. 

Shoving her pink purse into Naruto’s hands, Sakura whispered ‘buy me a coffee after this’, and started making her way to the chair.

With a sigh, Naruto put the purse down on the table adjacent to the mirrors and took a seat next to Sakura to join them.


	12. Waves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellooooo! Sorry for being gone for almost a year... I simply didn't want to write this story anymore, but the comments left really helped me get back into it, so thank you to those who left a comment recently! There you go, another chapter, hope you guys enjoy! Unbeta'd.

“We should get going, Sasuke.”

Huffing out a profanity, Sasuke fixed his tie as he looked in the stainless mirror of one of the sizable restrooms of the Uchiha Corps headquarters. It had been about an hour since everyone but them - including the janitors - had left, and the strong smell of heavy disinfectants lingered in the air.

He gave his hair one last fingering to make sure his bangs didn’t look messy. The effects of the hair product he’d used in the morning were still there, so he didn’t have to do much.

Itachi and he had stayed behind while all the other personnel had gone ahead to the reserved hotel’s restaurant. Ivory Tower was Neji’s latest discovery. The place looked neat and the restaurant had good food from what Sasuke had heard.

They only took Itachi’s car instead of two separate ones. Itachi seemed concerned about the way Sasuke thoughtfully watched out the window. However, they both kept their silence. Sasuke was sure Itachi had a lot to think about for it was a big day, and he didn’t feel like doing small talk. He knew that once they arrived to the place, he had many people to talk to, including his own father (maybe?), and as a CEO of the company, he had to give a speech, too. He was going to enjoy the silence while he could.

Like all good things, the ride ended very soon. Sasuke opted to left his coat in the car to avoid spending time finding it after the event. They shared a look with his brother and started walking toward the building.

Sasuke wasn’t sure how he felt about playing around a bit with the tradition and adding up a dinner to the mix. Itachi had given Sasuke a pep talk last night, which was quite unnecessary in Sasuke’s opinion. The way Itachi saw it, Sasuke was making almost a decade old events seem tragic by replaying the memories over and over in his head. To some extent, he might be right. But Itachi couldn’t understand how scarring the situation had been. He wasn’t planning on throwing a tantrum by any means, though.

Familiar faces were all around the restaurant. Sasuke’s eyes found Kiba by the small stage originally designed for live bands to play, talking to Neji. The suit he’d pulled on looked absurd on him.

He was glad to not have seen Naruto around. Tonight was a special occasion and he had no intention for it to play out melodramatically.

Perhaps he wanted to impress his father. Fine, he knew he did. He wanted the older man to see that Sasuke was perfectly fine on his own, that he was good at his job as much as his older brother was. He wanted to prove his sexuality had nothing to do with how much of a man he was.

He took a seat at one of the round tables. The perfectly white tablecloth felt sickening to look at, and Sasuke’s gaze drifted to Karin and Suigetsu. It was supposed to be a fun night; celebrations were considered as fun, yet, Sasuke was bored already, picking on his nails and trying not to look blase.

“Hello,” he heard a deep, unfamiliar voice, and the owner of the voice pulled up a chair without asking for permission. “Shino. Aburame Shino. You must be Uchiha Sasuke.”

“...Yes,” Sasuke raised a brow. The name was familiar, and he remembered that Aburame was the vet that prepared the formulas for Inuakashi’s pet food. “Pleasure to meet you.” 

They shook hands.

Sasuke was confused about why the guy was wearing sunglasses indoors, but he didn’t ask. 

“I’m not good with crowds. I’m only here because Kiba is my closest friend,” Shino said, reaching for the bottle of water standing in front of him and opening the cap to take a drink. 

Sasuke briefly nodded. “Yeah. I know how vexing it can be.”

“You don’t seem amused.”

“Celebrations aren’t my strong suit,” Sasuke explained, gaze flickering over where Neji once was. Both Neji and Kiba were gone, instead, waiters and waitresses had taken their place, readying plates and glasses.

“Ah, Shino!” They heard Kiba yell from the distance. From Sasuke remembered, Kiba was a wild card. He apparently still was. Yelling at a business celebration. Hah.

“Kiba,” Shino greeted his friend, who steadily approached them. “Look who I found.”

“Sasuke.” Kiba appeared surprised. He had no reason to, Sasuke thought. He was a CEO of the company. Of course he was going to be here. 

On the other hand. Maybe it was about Naruto.

They shook hands with Kiba, too, and Kiba sat down next to Shino. He had to admit, but it was… kind of nice to be talking to different people. Maybe he should widen his circle of friends, he thought as Kiba excitedly told him about his plans for 2019. 

About half an hour later, the restaurant was packed with Uchiha Corps workers. He’d found out that Kiba had brought Hinata along as well as Shino, his childhood friend and Neji’s cousin. It was interesting, because as far as he knew Hinata was the daughter of a man Neji hated with passion. But the two seemed to get along just fine. 

He couldn’t see his father, but he knew he were here. When Itachi finished his speech and called Sasuke to the stage, he stood up, adjusted his jacket and climbed the stairs to the podium.

“Good evening and welcome. My name is Uchiha Sasuke,” he introduced himself. The spotlights were too bright for his liking. “This is the celebration for our proud union with Inuzuka Kiba-san’s company, Inuakashi.”

While he waited for the applause to die out, his eyes searched the crowd, even though he couldn’t see much due to the lighting.

“Today is a day of celebration, celebration of Inuzuka-san’s successful entrepreneurship. As Dave Thomas said,  _ ‘What do you need to start a business? Three simple things: know your product better than anyone, know your customer, and have a burning desire to succeed.’.  _ He splendidly created a business with his friend Aburame Shino-san and managed to make it Japan’s number one in its field.”

Another round of applause.

As he continued his speech, his eyes kept hunting for his family, but the only family he could see was Itachi. He was curious about whether or not Naruto was there, but he had a hunch that after the other night, he needed some rest.

. . .

After his speech, he paid a quick visit to the restroom, having little chats with his employees. By the time he found Itachi, it was almost 6 P.M.

“Dinner’s about to start, where were you?” Itachi inquired.

Sasuke pointed at the direction of the restroom with his hand. “Talking to people.”

Itachi seemed surprised. “I didn’t know you did that.” He quickly added, “Good for you.”

“Sasuke.”

Having heard it maybe more than a thousand times, Sasuke immediately recognized the voice. He turned around to regard the older man. He almost said ‘father’, out of habit, but held it back for some reason he couldn’t quite understand. 

“That was… an excellent speech,” Fugaku, his father, commented. Sasuke took a moment to take in the changes on his father’s face. The line between his brows had deepened as well as the ones on his forehead. His hair had whites now - it was a nice dark brown when Sasuke had left home - and his eyes looked different. The way he looked at Sasuke was. 

He swallowed. “Thank you.”

The more he tried not to fidget, the more anxious he felt, and he could clearly see that his father was not entirely comfortable with the situation, too. So, he quickly excused himself, taking big steps toward the exit, longing for a cigarette. Sadly, he didn’t have any. He could always bum one from someone, but Itachi wouldn’t like that. Since when did he care about what Itachi thought, he didn’t know, but he didn’t feel like talking to anyone, let alone asking for something.

But Kiba, being the idiot he was (did Naruto and he influence each other? Sasuke didn’t know.) managed to find him in the parking lot - whatever he was doing there. Sasuke hoped the guy wasn’t following around like a lost puppy. Maybe being too close with a vet did that to a person.

“Hey, dude,” Kiba saluted. “What’re you doin’ here? All alone? You gonna smoke?”

Sasuke leaned back against Itachi’s car and exhaled sharply. “No.”

“Why?” Kiba demanded.

“I’m trying to quit, so if you can please stop talking about smoking,” snapped Sasuke, sending a glare Kiba’s way, hoping it to be as scary as he wished.

But Kiba didn’t seem intimidated. “Anyway, I just wanted to apologize about something. I didn’t get a chance ‘till now.”

“Apologize about what?” Sasuke asked, his anger dying out slowly as Kiba roused his curiosity.

“Uh. This is so weird,” Kiba chuckled nervously, scratching his cheek and averting his gaze from Sasuke. “Uhh. About the other day. The meeting. I forgot to let you know that…  _ Naruto  _ was going to be there. Yeah - sorry about that. I wasn’t trying to… uhhh. How do I put it. Stir you up?”

“It’s alright,” Sasuke sighed, looking up, searching for stars, but he could see none. “I mean. It’s not alright, him and I, but you and I. We’re cool.”

“Yeah? I know there’s bad blood between you two, but… anyway.” He flashed a grin.

Sasuke kicked a pebble under his feet and gathered up courage to ask, “How’s he, by the way? Did he recover yet?”

Kiba was surprised. “Dude. Are you stalking him or somethin’?”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. “What?” He harshly asked.

“I mean. How do you know about… him getting drugged? Wait - don’t tell me--”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Inuzuka,” Sasuke bit out, feeling his blood boil. “I was the one who carried his sorry ass to the hospital. We just happened to be at the same place. No, I’m not stalking him, I did not drug him, and you, clearly, are an idiot.”

“That’s the Sasuke I know - or have heard about,” Kiba remarked. The innuendo about the insult wasn’t lost on Sasuke. But Kiba had asked for it! “I didn’t know you were the one who took him to the hospital.”

“How is he?” He repeated.

Kiba sniffled. The air was a bit chilly. “He’s doin’ okay. Resting in bed, or at his parents’ house, probably. I didn’t get to check on him again, but I’ll drop by his place after the night’s over. Why are you askin’ anyway? I thought you didn’t give a shit about him.”

“Is that what he told you? Fucking asshole,” Sasuke accused.

“Uh. Isn’t that why you guys broke up in the first place?” Kiba asked, dumbfounded.

Letting out a sigh, Sasuke started to walk away, brain foggy, unaware of Kiba’s perplexed gaze.

* * *

 

Naruto paid the cab driver and stepped out of the car, shutting the door with more force than necessary. He’d left with Sakura afterward, and the talk hadn’t gone well. Sakura, rightfully, had told him to get a grip and remove bad influences from him life (meaning Gaara - she hadn’t taken that information well). Naruto knew that; knew he should cut ties with Gaara. The only good thing about him was that he was good in bed. He didn’t treat Naruto badly, but that could be a mask, too. The guy was involved with drugs, for fuck’s sake, and probably Yakuza. 

The thought made Naruto shiver. He was suddenly wondering if he was safe. Sasori, to admit, had never been as fond of Naruto as Naruto was of him. Who could protect him if something were to happen? No one. His dad could only do so much. 

Once inside his flat, he felt like hitting the sack, but he hadn’t eaten much during the day and he felt pretty hungry. He found strawberries in the refrigerator, and some stale chocolate in a drawer, but it wasn’t so bad. He melted it in the microwave, then grabbed a bottle of cold water and exited the kitchen. He powered on the small TV in the living room and without even bothering to look at what was on, started dipping strawberries in chocolate. It wasn’t the healthiest meal, or the most filling, but he didn’t feel like eating anything else.

He ate slowly. His mind kept wandering to Gaara - and how he’d tried to evade the topic of his profession. How he’d said Naruto wouldn't get harmed. He’d been hurt once. What was going to stop him from getting hurt again? If one of Gaara’s colleagues was a psycho, what could assure Naruto that the others were not? Drugging people for shits and giggles. Or simply because they didn’t like Gaara. 

His phone started going off, so he put the bowl on the sofa and picked it up. It was Kiba. 

_ “Hey man, how ya feeling?”  _

“Pretty good, actually. The drug wore off completely, I think,” he answered after swallowing his strawberry. “How was the celebration?”

“Dope. Listen, I was gonna pay you a visit, but Shino got too drunk. Boredom does that to a person, I guess,” he laughed. “But I’ll drop by tomorrow if that’s okay? Rest up, buddy.”

“Sure. I was planning on inviting the others over to work. But sure. You can come and see how the website’s turning out, too.”

“Yeah. Okay.  Talk to you later, Naruto.”

“Bye, Kiba.”

As if on cue, the doorbell rang, interrupting his thought process. He lazily strolled down the hallway and opened the door. 

He’d never expected to see two policemen standing at his door.

“Uzumaki Naruto?” One of them asked.

“Yes?”

“You’re coming with us.”

* * *

 

The ride back home wasn’t a quiet one. Sasuke, Neji and Itachi were going to Itachi’s place to do some more work so they could take the weekend off. Sasuke was the DD for he had stayed away from the sake, except for one sip. 

“That was a nice celebration, wasn’t it, brother.” Itachi said.

“It didn’t suck as much as I thought it would,” Sasuke admitted, “but it could have been better.”

“If father hadn’t been there?”

Neji quietly watched out the window as two brothers argued over their father. Sasuke wasn’t entirely unhappy about seeing his father. He’d shown him that he could manage on his own. That he was a strong, independent person. 

“You’re making such a huge deal out of it in your head, Sasuke. Father acknowledges your accomplishments. He understands now. Can’t you see?”

“No.”

Itachi sighed. “You’re such a brat.” He tried ruffling Sasuke’s hair, only to be pushed away by him. Sasuke let go of the steering wheel for a second.

“Please. I want to live to see another day,” Neji complained good-naturedly. 

Sasuke sniggered. “What’s with the traffic today?”

“I think there’s been a drug bust somewhere. Maybe it’s about that,” Neji said, not looking up from his phablet.

Itachi looked thoughtful. “Hmm.”

“So, what’s the plan for Saturday? Are we really going to fish?”

“God, no,” Neji groaned, making Itachi laugh all of a sudden. “What?”

“It’s just the way you said it,” Itachi rubbed an eye and smiled at Neji in the rearview mirror. 

Sasuke focused his eyes on the road.

. . . 

After stopping by Sasuke’s apartment to get Busu, they took the empty highway to reach Itachi’s apartment. It was neat, freshly cleaned, and since he’d hired a cooking lady, there was food in his kitchen. They set the table and ate together. 

While he put the dishes in the washer, Neji called to him from the living space. “Sasuke. You might want to see this.”

Curious, Sasuke washed his hands with soap and dried them, then went out of the kitchen to see what Neji was talking about. Some news channel was on, and the news anchor was telling the story of the drug dealers that were busted that evening.

“Wait… wait-- ah, there,” Neji pointed toward the screen.

The guy from the bar who had drugged Naruto.

Suddenly, Sasuke started to laugh. “Karma is real, huh?” He spoke.

“I don’t know. He’ll probably be in prison for the rest of his life.”

“And that idiot probably won’t even sue the guy for drugging him.”

“Hmm.”

“Where’s Itachi?” He asked as he picked up Busu from the ground and sat down in a chair.

“I’m here,” Itachi entered the room, holding his laptop in his hands.

Sasuke pouted without even noticing. “What were you doing?”

“Nothing.” Itachi smiled. 

“I wonder if you could be any more obvious,” Sasuke muttered.

“Okay, okay,” Itachi put the computer down and went to Sasuke’s side. “I ordered some toys for Busu.” 

Sasuke was surprised. “You didn’t have to. I had one at my place.”

Neji chimed in. “You did? When do you care so much about cats?” 

“I didn’t buy it. It’s one of Menma’s toys.”

Silence fell. Nobody wanted to comment on the statement, so Neji opened his own laptop and started to work quietly. Itachi followed him. Sasuke found himself going back to the kitchen to finish cleaning up. 

He thought about Naruto while he cleaned. He honestly didn’t even know what he thought about him anymore. His feeling were all mixed together: anger, pain,  _ love _ . The thing he once felt for the blond (now redhead). And how he’d crept back into Sasuke’s life was… so  _ him _ . He’d just come and there he was again, playing in Sasuke’s mind when he was alone. Was he okay? What was he doing? What, or who was he looking at right now?

Why was he messing with Sasuke’s head so much? Did he really want to go back the way they were or was it simply because he really didn’t want to be enemies with Sasuke?

Or, more importantly, was Sasuke really okay with Naruto entering his life again? What if they fucked it up once more? 

He realized he had placed the last plate, and closed the door of the dishwasher.


End file.
